Death's Lessons
by Maji
Summary: Death's Lessons can come at a very big price... More often than not Death himself teaches it... Rock On! Complete!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Yes! We got one! The Cars characters belong to Pixar and Disney. Stone Knightis mine. No touchy! I also created Seth, Josephine McQueen, Henry McQueen,Jake McQueen, Jordan McQueen, Dakoda Knight, Ripper Knight, Ebony Talon, and Cain. The NASCAR people are copyright of themselves, including references of Junior, Gordon, Jarrett, Burton, Martin, Wallace and a few others to name a few. I don't own them (Kinda wish I did) their real and very talented racers that I just love. Don't sue me! I have no money anyway!

Also if by some chance you like the character Stone, he has his very own story out there. Read more about our favorite grumpy old truck in "Let Freedom Ring" and the sequel "Already There". A work in progress that will eventually span a complete set of seven stories. Happy reading!

Further note - I would like to point out that names are not copyrighted characters are. Before certain people start jumping down my throat through e-mail about copyright issues on a character they might want to actually wait until they see the character used in the story. I'm not part of the board or whatever it is that is being fussed about so if you have any further issues, be gone. Tell it to someone who knows what you are talking about.Though to avoid further problem and since the character hasn't been used yet Ican just as easily change the name.Who by the way was named after a friend. Not a character on a board. Though Ebony Talon has been a character of mine for years.Before complaints are made, once again wait until their used, so that an intelligent complaint can be made. Thank you. Happy reading.

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Race Day... The cause of fear, excitement, hope... Though in the case of the Sheriff at the moment it was simply very annoying. He gave a soft groan as he pulled back further into his parking spot as Lightning more or less bounced around the room. He had already knocked over a lamp and tipped over a stack of books by the time that Doc yelled at him to settle his fender down.

Sheriff cracked open an eye to glance around the hotel room, with a soft sigh. Race day. He didn't usually come to the races. In fact most of the time it was only Doc and Lightning, with Luigi and Guido tagging along as pit crew. Though on the day of the Piston Cup the entire town shut down to come and support their favorite car. It was also days like these that they split off and wound up bunking with each other, spread out between three hotel rooms. An over excited lightning had been the lesser of the evils in the Sheriff's opinion.

In one room Flo, Ramone, and Mater had settled down. He knew for a fact that Ramone and Mater snored like a chainsaw. Though Doc wasn't much better but at least he could after a while tune him out.

In the other Sarge, Fillmore, Luigi, and Guido. Sarge and Fillmore was probably Doc's idea of a sick joke. They argued about everything and finally had simply settled on not speaking to each other.

In their room it was himself, Doc, and Lightning. He was a bit weary of bunking with Lightening but it turned out to not be so bad until race morning...

In fact in the four days they had all been there Lightning was normally very sober in the morning and in fact half dead until he had a quart of oil in him and a good dose of gas. Though there was apparently something entirely different about race day.

"Lightning it's 6 o'clock in the morning settle down or I'll have you driving laps till dooms day!" Doc's voice rang out from the car wash stall connected to the room. Lightning instantly parked it and began idly flipping through channels on the TV, surfing through the news stations that would later feature footage of the race and in some cases the entire race itself. Some where even advertising the upcoming race in banners of color across the screens.

"Boy the race don't start for several hours yet. Get some sleep while ya can." Sheriff mumbled, catching Lightning's attention for a moment. Lightning only grinned at him and shrugged, his attention not entirely focused this morning. He was to excited over the upcoming race.

After a few moments Doc emerged from the wash room, a slight shake given to get rid of access water. He growled softly, Doc being possibly the furthest from being a morning person one could get and silently chased Lightning into the wash room before he had to deal with him.

"He always like this?" Sheriff grumbled, opening eye to glance at his friend of so many years.

"Pretty much. Usually he's a bit more sedate than this though. Though to his own credit this is a big race." He muttered, drawing a brief nod from Sheriff. "S'pose your right. But dang... And Do we really have to be up this early?"

Doc gave a soft grunt and chuckled. "You can sleep in if you want. The race doesn't start for several more hours. Sarge is suppose to get the others going in about three hours and meet us at the track. However I need to get Lightning on the track and get him breakfast before I set him out there for a few practice laps."

"Sarge is getting the others together? Think it'll be safer to go ahead and get out there then." He muttered, a soft yawn escaping him before he stood up and stretched. Doc chuckled a bit, a slight yawn of his own given and silently began moving around the room, somewhat cleaning up what Lightning had knocked over. Something Sheriff suspected was simply to do and keep himself awake while their more energetic friend was occupied.

Within' a few moments Lightning bounced back out, a good shake given to shake off water, once more an energetic tornado around the room, until Doc finally somewhat lost his temper and yelled at him to go grab a couple of quarts of oil from the lobby before he destroyed the entire room.

"And you bunk with him every time?" Sheriff questioned, drawing a chuckle from Doc. "Oh in much smaller confines. When there's less of us it doesn't make any sense to get so many rooms. Once or twice I've stayed with Lightning in his trailer which I might add is a quarter of the size of this room."

Sheriff shuttered quietly and chuckled, silently heading to the wash room himself, another soft yawn muttered.

He supposed it had been about a year now... If anyone had told him he would be rooming with the delinquent he had caught speeding on highway 66 he would have called them a dang fool. But he had to admit in the past year Lightning had become family.

Sheriff closed his eyes again as water rained down on him, idly listening to Doc fussing again as Lightning burst back into the room, bringing back with him the strong smelling oil that was required to make Doc somewhat less grumpy in the morning.

The good natured banter brought a smile to his grill and had him thinking back. He remembered being at an age that he was that excited about life. It had been years ago... He could also remember the others being that wired about life in general. Though no sense in thinking about old days he couldn't bring back.

He sighed softly and thought back on last year's Piston Cup Race. The first time he had ever stepped a tire out onto a race track. He had to admit it had been fun. Though not something he would take up in for every weekend the way Doc and Lightning did.

He gave a light chuckle and silently stepped away from the water, turning it off and giving a good shake to clear it. Another day, another race...

A bit more awake now he pulled out into the room again, the moment of quiet broken, to Doc and Lightning bickering over who they needed to worry about in the race. About a month prior Chick Hicks had been once again cheating in a race by attempting to push Junior into the wall. Junior while normally not half as aggressive on the track as his father had been, still didn't take scrap from anybody. And Dale Earnheard had taught his boy a trick or two about racing... Junior had pushed right back and wound up putting Chick himself into the wall and wound up being held out of the last three races including the Piston Cup with a broken rear axil. Lightning was becoming a little to confident about that in Doc's opinion. He still needed to watch the other competitors. There was a lot of good racers out there that would be coming up on Lightning's rear bumper. Jeff Gordon and Junior for instants where not going to cut him any breaks.

That thought for some reason put a somewhat uneasy feeling in the pit of Sheriff's fuel tank but he shrugged it off rather quickly.

Within' the hour the three where out the door, leaving a note for Sarge to get everyone out there when they where somewhat awake and had some breakfast in them. The drive was an interesting one. Lightning was to revved to even keep in the lane, the car switching lanes constantly on the interstate and almost driving in place when it came to the busy city streets. About all they could take of the hot muggy streets of Daytona Florida. Days like these where exactly why the Sheriff had relocated to Arizona...

They took about fifteen minutes for a somewhat forced breakfast, Doc the one doing the forcing as Lightning stared almost wistfully at the track, and then hit pit row.

"Don't wear yourself out before the race Lightning. Do about five laps to get use to the feel of the track then come back here. No sense in spending all that bottled up energy before you have to use it." Doc warned, sending Lightning out onto the track. He took off, falling into a steady pace, for the moment the red car the only one on the track. Though before he had even gone halfway Junior had stepped out onto the track and began his own practice laps. Even though it was painfully early the track was already beginning to stir. Three more cars joined Lightning out on the track, keeping a respectful distance from each other as each vehicle focused on his own driving.

It was about that point that an uneasy feeling hit... The Sheriff silently watched Lightning run laps, a frown crossing his grill. He knew that feeling... It was the same gut feeling that he felt made him a good cop.

That uneasy feeling in the pit of his fuel tank that very rarely let him down. That feeling he got when coming up on a wreck... And before he even saw it he knew it was going to be bad. That feeling he got when he was a very young car... And the state patrol had come to the door of his home. He knew before they said a single word that his father wasn't coming home again. That gut feeling of dread. Something was going to happen...

For a moment he considered telling Doc to call Lightning off the track but the car had just finished his fifth lap and was already pulling into pit row. The uneasy feeling immediately faded, drawing a sigh of relief from Sheriff. Well maybe even a good cop had to be wrong some time.

It was several more hours before the rest of the group pulled up, the Radiator Springs group a bundle of energy. The only one's really missing where Sally, Red and Lizzie. Lizzie staying behind simply because she was a bit to old for all this excitement. Sally for the duel purpose of helping Red watch over the town and Lizzie. The old girl was finely about hitting the end of her days. Doc had warned them all that she might not be with them much longer. No one really wanted to think about that...

The excited cheers of the growing crowed shook Sheriff out of his thoughts as a the pit crews started setting up shop, a few of the racers coming down to pit row to look in on the progress.

"Lightning Harv wants you to call him after the race is over." Mack's booming voice rang out from the garage area, drawing Lightning's attention briefly.

"Did he say what for?"

"Yeah something about renewing next year's contracts." He called back, drawing a brief nod from Lightning. Sounded about right. It was that time of year again, when after the race they would have to discuss the next season.

"Hey kid!" Lightning let a grin cross his grill as his two bosses came up beside him the brother's nudging him good naturedly. Sheriff smiled a bit as the three headed off to find Doc, quietly discussing the race.

It was another hour before the racers lined up, the afternoon soon just starting to trail across the track. The cars all stood silent as the national anthem rang out over the speakers, a small female F-150 ford singing from the middle of the track, her voice ringing out with the help of the speaker system and her image appearing on the plasma screen. At the end of the song a roar cut through the racers as the call of "Gentleman start your engines" rang out over the speakers. The crowed cheered as that low roar set a tremor through the ground that every racing fan lived for. That would never get old...

Within' moments the pace car was moving the racers taking two laps at a sedate pace. The pace car finally pulled away and they where off...

The field tore around the track in the first lap, setting a good racing pace then settled in to ride out the five hundred laps they would have to go.

"Take it easy kid, you've got a long race ahead of you." Doc warned over the radio set that he wore, taking his place on a platform higher above the others so he could see the race, the crew chief keeping a close eye on where Lightning was and what he needed to do.

Lightning hadn't even gone twenty laps before that uneasy feeling started settling into Sheriff's fuel tank. Once again he wanted to tell Doc to call Lightning off the track. Though that wasn't possible now...

"You alright Sheriff?" He snapped out of his thoughts, Mack's voice beside him pulling him back down to Earth.

"Yeah sure thing Mack. Just an odd feeling..."

"About the race." Mack reasoned, drawing a nod from Sheriff. "Me to." Mack admitted, a worried expression crossing his features as he watched the race wear on. Two hundred laps in and Lightning had managed to gain a huge lead. He was coming up behind the field again and more or less struggling through the middle of the field.

It was nearly four hundred laps in when Mack suddenly pulled forward, coming as close to the edge of the track as he could, his form towering over Doc even though Doc was up on a platform and Mack was standing on the flat. Sheriff frowned and came up beside him, his full attention glued to the track.

_Life is a fragile thing_

Within' a few seconds it had happened. Dale Jarrett came in a bit to close to Jeff Burton. Burton wound up bumping him, the two cars hitting at just the wrong angle... Burton swerved in towards the field while Jarrett swerved out towards the wall. They barely touched each other... But at just the right angle and speed, the result had been devastating.

_In seconds a simple event can cause life to flip upside down. To take away everything we hold close._

Jarrett hit the wall hard though not hard enough that it seemed to cause any real damage. However the impact must have shaken something loose... A thick trail of oil sprayed out from under him onto the track, causing the track to become much more slick than it had to be. Behind him Mark Martin hit it and spun out, sliding sideways.

_When simple events shatter our lives and bring out what we have always feared._

Lightning swerved to attempt to avoid the oil slick but there was no way. He slid into it, his back end fishtailing as Doc yelled over the radio what to do, and how to get out of a trick like that. Lightning focused on Doc's voice, following his directions as he slid on the glass like surface of the track.

_When no matter what happens we must pick ourselves up..._

Burton had managed to save himself from going into the dirt but the oil slick caught up under his tired, sending him along with the rest of the field slipping and sliding.

_These are the seconds that build us. That create us... That make us who we are._

Lightning finally entirely lost his traction as they entered a turn, the stock car hitting the side wall hard. His engine didn't stall out with the impact though he was badly dazed, the force sending him sliding right back into the middle of the field of cars.

_That make or break us..._

He spun to a grinding halt as his right, rear tire blew, leaving him on three tires in the middle of the track. He groaned softly unable to move... The rest of the field was baring down on him, hard their speed making it impossible for them to stop...

_These are the seconds in life... That we must endure._

Lightning was in to much pain to move to far. He couldn't even get his engine to turn over. Despite the calls of his team to get the hell out of the way he could only brace himself as the rest of the field hit him head on. He was battered around for a moment from race car to race car as they attempted to get out of his way as a collective group... But it wasn't possible. He was in the middle of them and then... Nothing. He blacked out as the field moved on, able to get around him and a pace car pulled out onto the track.

_These seconds... Make us who we are and despite their cruelty... These seconds... are life..._

"Lightning! Can you hear me?"

Doc's voice seemed so distant to him Like a dream.

"We're coming Lightning, don't move."

_Like I can move?_ Lightning commented over the radio, though oddly enough his voice didn't sound as he expected it to. It felt... Surreal almost.

He glanced around him at the chaos... Not to far away Jarrett rest against the wall battered and broken, having apparently passed out while in gear and hit the wall again hard. Not far from him Burton had hit Rusty Wallace and landed upside down in the infield and was as of yet unconscious. On the other side of the track the pace car was leading the vehicles who had managed to get out of the crash unharmed around to the other side, most of them taking the time to make a pit stop.

Lightning wondered briefly for a moment why he wasn't with them. He felt alright all of a sudden. He smiled a bit, figuring the pain to be a fluke and set off after the rest of the field. Though as he twisted around... He found himself staring at himself... A very battered and broken form of himself. A complete wreck... He swallowed hard as track officials passed him on either side hurrying to get the injured racers off the track before the pace car came back around.

He watched as the officials hooked himself up to a tow truck and he was pulled off of the track, leaving a sickening trail of oil behind.

Then everything seemed to fade back into that peaceful dream like state... and once again he didn't care.

"Lightning!" Doc hurried over to the side lines where the officials had dropped Lightning and hurried off to another racer as the track doctors hurried to access his injuries. Within' moments they where loading him into an ambulance like vehicle and waving bystanders away.

"I'm going with him. I'm his crew chief." Doc insisted, a moment's pause before the track doctor waved him into the truck. The vehicle tore off, leaving the others to follow behind at a more reasonable pace, a track official giving Sarge a name of a hospital before taking off again.

Poor Mater was in tears by the time they hit the highway, going as fast as they safely could. Sheriff stayed close behind, that uneasy feeling in his fuel tank now more like a dead weight. Mack drove silently up ahead, the truck having driven under these conditions more than once in his career. The massive truck looked as if he would rather be any where else but there. This was a drive that none of them particularly wanted to go on.

"He's gonna be alright ain't he Sheriff?" Mater's soft voice startled him a bit but he forced a smile, brief nod given. "I'm sure he'll be just fine. Just a few bumps and dents."

Sheriff kept that smile on his muzzle until Mater pulled away. Only then did he let out a heavy sigh. He had a lot of experience in wrecks. It had been part of what drove him to Radiator Springs... He had wanted a quieter life. Less to deal with. He had seen wrecks that weren't half as bad as Lightning and not make it. He was worried...

Hospitals... Even though he was a doctor he tended to hate them. The white walls and perfectly sterile and clean feeling gave him the creeps. He tried to keep his own office a bit more... homey. It was perfectly clean and sterile but it didn't feel like a hospital to him. This... was a nightmare. Or maybe it was the fact that they where wheeling Lightning ahead of him directly into surgery... He couldn't answer that.

Doc silently parked out in the waiting room, watching doctors and nurses come and go as they took Lightning away. He also knew from experience that this was the most difficult part. The waiting... It was a nightmare...

It was about fifteen minutes before he forced himself to get moving and start making phone calls. First a call to a very hysterical Sally who had seen the crash on TV... He didn't have much that he could tell her... Only that they where at the hospital. From his own medical knowledge he knew it didn't look good. Though somehow he couldn't bring himself to tell her that. Within moments Sally had everything worked out. She would leave things to Red and be in Daytona within' the next two days if she drove all night.

Doc could only warn her not to push herself. It had taken them a good four days to drive out here from Radiator Springs. As soon as he hung up the phone from Sally that feeling of sorrow settled in again. That lonely feeling that tended to gnaw at him.

It was a good half an hour before the crew from Radiator Springs forced their way into the hospital, a buzz of questions hitting him. Though the only answer he could give for now was, no report...

"Did you call Sally and them?" Sheriff questioned, drawing a brief nod form Doc.

"What about his family."

Doc paused, a rather blank look given to that. Did Lightning even have family? He had never mentioned them. "I wouldn't even know where to start." He admitted drawing a slight sigh from them all. "Mack might..." Doc then reasoned, silently getting up and heading outside of the hospital to where the semi sat waiting for some form of an update, the massive truck elected to keep the press at bay. He was rather good at it. Though there was so many of them he was needing help from Hospital security this time around.

"Mack!" Doc's voice rang out somewhat over the crowed drawing the truck's attention. "I need a list of contacts for Lightning. Do you have them?"

"Look in the trailer. Should be a green notebook in one of the drawers at the front. It's a list of contact numbers. Use the phone in the trailer if you want to. These people are everywhere." He called back, the truck then throwing himself back into blocking the front of the hospital from the press.

"Oil sucking parasites." Doc muttered to himself, silently moving into Lightning's trailer, letting the door shut behind him throwing him into a sudden silence. The place was normally very neat and organized and now was no difference. When he first met Lightning he would have tagged him as the kind to be somewhat messy, even cluttered. But after knowing him as long as he did he quickly found the stock car was as neat as a pin. To the point that seeing a mess made him a little edgy. Something Doc himself found out one morning when the stock car showed up at his garage with a mop and a bucket of water declaring he couldn't take it any more. The only reason his garage was now clean and he had an actual office again...

He took a moment, silently looking for the book before it was produced... A hunter green spiral bound notebook. He quickly found the phone, and flipped the first page open. His agent Harv was the first in the book. He sighed softly and dialed the number having personally never cared much for agents. Five minutes later he was off the phone again, the agent having known most of it already. The call had come in almost immediately from the press that Lightning had crashed and his take on it. He could only offer condolences and the promise he would try to get the press off their backs a bit. He was like any other agent in the world. Looking mostly towards the business part of it. Or so Doc thought until he lowered his voice for a moment and quietly asked Doc to call him if there was any changes or just to let him know the kid was ok, then asking if there was anything they needed at the hospital, with a departing offer to contact his sponsors. A strange insight into the life of an agent upon hanging up. Not so oil thirsty maybe...

The next number was Mack's... Didn't need that one.

Then the number of his sponsors... Didn't need that one either.

His lawyer's office... Hmm... Possibly could have used that one when Sheriff first picked him up. That memory brought a chuckle from Doc as he went on.

Someone by the name of Doctor Flanning that out to the side explained was Lightning's psychologist. Lightning had a psychologist? He was definitely out of the loop on that one.

A few other numbers for repair shops, paint and body shops, and places for tires... Nothing that he could use so far. The basic phone book that a race car might have. Though so far no reference to family. He sighed heavily and was about to give up when something caught his attention. The name Stone and a number. No title other than that. He sighed heavily and dialed the number, quietly waiting for someone to pick up. He was about to give up when the other line clicked, and a male voice came over the line.

"Hello?"

"Hello, my name is Doctor Hudson. I'm looking for someone by the name of Stone... Would you be this person by any chance."

"Naw that's my brother." The other voice drew out slowly, the accent decisively southern. "Hang on a sec. Stone!"

Doc flinched as whoever was on the other line called to whoever Stone was. After a moment a much lower and more graveled voice came over the line.

"Stone speaking..."

"Hello. My name is Doctor Hudson. Do you know a Lightning McQueen?"

The line was quiet for a moment as whoever was on the line sighed before going on. "Look whoever you are, he ain't here so if you're trying to-"

"No sir, I know where he is. Your name came up on a list of emergency contacts." Doc cut in before he could work up a good rant.

"Emergency? What's wrong? The boy in trouble again?" Stone questioned, sounding a mix of concern and suspicion.

"Well sir as you probably know he had a race today..."

"Ah hell I can't keep track of all the times the kid races. Get to the point." Stone snapped.

"He's been in an accident." Doc explained his patients with this one wearing extremely thin.

The line was quiet for a long moment before, "How bad?"

"It's rather severe. He's in surgery now..."

"You his doctor then?"

"Actually I'm his crew chief-"

"Never mind that." Stone cut in once more. "Where are you?"

"Daytona" Doc quickly explained, already flipping through the listing of contacts again. "Listen does he have any other contacts that I can call for-"

"Yup. His mother. She lives right across the street from me so I'll bring her. Don't know where the hell his father is so you'll have to be happy with her. And I'm on my way." Stone stated simply, before the line went dead. Not so much as a polite goodbye. Though Doc already figured that was just the way he was. He shrugged off the strange encounter and silently flipped the page of the contacts. Sure enough his mother was the next contact. Might have actually gotten more from them but at least the steps to notify his family where made.

He shrugged off the rather strange encounter, silently flipping through the book for any other contacts that could be reached. Though it seemed like Stone was the magic contact. As long as his mother had been contacted he felt that was enough, and this Stone person seemed to know Lightning's mother...

That done he silently closed the book and replaced it back in the drawer it had come from, and steeled himself off for the sudden break of peace as he opened the trailer door. Though to his surprise things had somewhat calmed down. Only Mack and two security guards where needed to keep what was left of the press back. They must have given up the crash and set their attention on who was about to win the race.

He quickly thanked Mack and headed back into the building, the entire group looking up at him as he came in. "Did about all that can be done." He muttered, silently parking. No one asked any further than that, silence falling over them once more.

Light... He could see light. He couldn't figure out just yet where it was coming from but he could see it. It was surreal... Entirely surreal. After a moment he realized he was parked in a large room... An operating room... Someone was on a lift and doctors and nurses where hurrying to save the life of the one on the lift.

_I shouldn't be here_ he thought quietly to himself as he watched. Off to the side a monitor beeped softly catching his brief attention. Within seconds the alarm on the monitor started going off, the steady beep turning to a high pitched and steady whine. That wasn't right. He knew that mostly from movies. That meant nothing good. Indeed it sent the doctors into motion. They rushed around the lift, moving to attempt to save the one on it.

"That's you ya know." Lightning tensed a bit the voice startling him.

"This isn't going to end well." The voice went on. Lightning turned to look at the speaker, coming face to face with a jet black Ford Mustang. An older Mustang from back when the Mustang was the muscle car of America. Not the sleek and sporty type.

"Who are you?" Lightning questioned, stepping a bit closer to the car.

"I am the one who will take you on to the next life. Though if you wish and it makes you feel more comfortable... You may refer to me as Seth."

Lightning watched the car for a moment and slowly backed up, seeming to realize several things at once. First off this vehicle was literally death... Second he was the one up on that lift that was dying... He also knew for a fact that it just wasn't his time to go. "No..." He muttered softly, quickly backing up. "No... that's not possible."

"I'm afraid it is young one. Only the good die young you know. Now if you will just come with me..."

"No" He stated again this time more firmly. "It's not my time. I have more to do."

"No son, I'm afraid there is nothing more you're going to do. Now if you will just come with me..."

"Where's Doc?" Lightning demanded backing up behind one of the many monitors. Seth sighed heavily and seemed to roll his eyes. "Probably out in the waiting room. He will grieve for a time but in the end he will move on with his life. Now I do have more clients today..."

"No. I want to see them." Lightning insisted, drawing another sigh from Seth. "Oh very well. I truly do detest it when one of these jobs turns into a round of this is your life. But if that's the way you want it... I suppose no one is actually in a hurry to die." He muttered, setting back on his wheels for a moment and fumbling a bit. After a moment something that looked like a portable phone was produced, a call placed through.

"Sandra... Hold my calls for the rest of the day and see if one of the underlings can do that nursing home job this evening. I've got a live one." He muttered into it, closing the phone and offering a disarming smile to Lightning.

"So... You're death... And you're on a phone plan?" Lightning questioned, one eye giving a quirk.

Seth laughed and shrugged. "What did you expect? Fire and brimstone? A light and a great tunnel? Mostly theatrics. We're on quite a budget these days. So, where shall we begin?" He mused and let a smile cross his grill. "Oh, yes." He silently moved over to where the doctor's where working, and studied Lightning's still body, a frown crossing his grill. "This you? I'm a bit surprised. But for the damage you look the same. Most people in this state are the ideal image of themselves. You know, fix the rear view mirror, tighten up the grill... You must be very confident."

"Is there a point to all this?" Lightning questioned, trying hard not to look at his own broken form.

"The point is you're avoiding the point. Look at yourself. Can you possibly survive?"

Lightning himself... Simply didn't want to answer that...


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Yes! We got one! The Cars characters belong to Pixar and Disney. Stone Knight is mine. No touchy! I also created Seth, Josephine McQueen, Henry McQueen, Jeff McQueen, Jordan McQueen, Dakoda Knight, Ripper Knight, Ebony Talon, and Sumara Knight. The NASCAR people are copyright of themselves, including references of Junior, Gordon, Jarrett, Burton, Martin, Wallace and a few others to name a few. I don't own them (Kinda wish I did) their real and very talented racers that I just love. Don't sue me! I have no money anyway!

Also if by some chance you like the character Stone, he has his very own story out there. Read more about our favorite grumpy old truck in "Let Freedom Ring" and the sequel "Already There". A work in progress that will eventually span a complete set of seven stories. Happy reading!

Notes - Russell's name has been changed again. Though this time not because anyone fussed, more because a certain someone flat out didn't like it and thought it sounded odd. -Baps her brother on the head and calls him Butthead.- Just wonderful having a twin... Can't live with em, can't claim adoption. So now Russell McQueen who was turned into Jake McQueen is now Jeff McQueen. This poor car is gonna have identity issues and he hasn't even been used yet. Though Chapter 3 is definitely gonna be his chapter! Then we all get to meet who's causing the big stir! Yay! Now if everyone is happy now, on with the story! Yay!

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The waiting game... He hated it. Doc sighed heavily and closed his eyes for a moment, attempting to find a bit of peace in the silence of the waiting room. That peace just wasn't to be found apparently. Mater paced back and forth steadily, a worried whine given every now and again. He had always been the more sensitive of the group. It wasn't helping him any now.

Though for his credit even Sarge looked as if he wanted to burst back into the operating room and demand updates and answers. The group was so tense that when the operating room doors finally did open they all jumped to their wheels. A lone doctor smiled sadly at him, a look of sympathy given that Doc didn't like.

"He's slipped into a coma." He explained softly, a sigh muttered. "We think we have him somewhat stable... But theirs a lot of damage."

Doc silently moved forward, a brief wince crossing his features. "How bad?"

"I've seen worse." The doctor offered gently. "But not many... Your friend doesn't have a very high chance of survival. But we're doing everything we can for him. We've moved him to ICU. For now, we're not accepting any visitors but in the next few hours one at a time could go back to see him if you want."

They fell silent for a moment while that sank in, Doc giving a slow nod. "Thank you Doctor." The doctor nodded quietly and turned, moving back through the set of double doors.

The group silently settled back in to wait, a collective sigh going through them. This was an absolute nightmare.

"Sir?" Doc opened his eyes again to glance at the nurse that was standing in front of him, a kind smile crossing her grill. There is someone here to see Mr. McQueen. We're going to send them to you." She explained quietly, gaining a puzzled nod from Doc. Surely that wasn't Sally already. Though within a moment he could see that was the furthest from the truth. A massive truck filled the double doors, an 80's model vehicle. A silver Ford F-150 from what he could tell. Just behind him a younger truck that looked from the early nineties though just as massive. At his side a much smaller Ford Ranger, his hide a sandy colored brown.

The silver truck silently glanced around the room for a moment before settling his attention on them and moving forward. "One of you Doctor Hudson?" He questioned, that rugged southern draw familiar in an instant.

"You must be Stone." Doc commented, bringing a slow nod from the truck. "I'm Doc."

"Evenin..." He drew out, turning his attention behind him for a moment. "Ripper watch Dakoda don't get away from ya. We don't need a repeat of what happened last time."

The black truck nodded and silently herded Dakoda off into a corner, parking there in an attempt to somewhat entertain him.

"Any news?" Stone questioned, turning his full attention back to Doc.

"Yes... I'm afraid none of it good. He's in a coma. They said in a few hours they would allow us to see him one at a time."

Stone nodded quietly, soft sigh given. "Was afraid of that." He muttered, settling back on his shocks with a wince.

From where he was parked, Dakoda suddenly got to his wheels, moving towards the door. Ripper didn't bother to stop him as the little truck met a fiery red Trans-am at the door, the truck nuzzling against the sports car. "Might as well sit down for a spell Mama Joe. We're gonna be here a while." Stone commented, bringing a nod from the car as she settled down beside them.

"Hello there." She offered, a pleasant smile shot towards the rest of the group. "Since Stone apparently isn't going to introduce me..." She commented, shooting a pointed look at the grey truck, who didn't seem to notice or care. "I'm Josephine. Lightning's mother. Though please call me Joe." She offered with a soft chuckle. Doc smiled and gave a nod of his prow, in response. "Pleased to meet you ma'am. I'm Doc Hudson. Lightning's crew chief."

"Oh so good to meet you then." She offered with a smile. "Any updates?" She questioned, drawing a sigh from Doc.

"He's slipped into a coma. For now, he's stable."

Joe nodded quietly, settling back on her shocks beside Stone and for the moment fell silent.

So there they sat. A large group of strangers waiting for one update.

"You've made a mistake." Lightning insisted, still standing in the now empty operating room. "They just said I was in a coma. Which means I'm still alive."

"Lightning sometimes you can die and your body just hasn't figured that part out yet. Trust me on this one your number is up." Seth argued, idly pacing back and forth around the operating room. "You will never wake from the coma. You'll remain in that state for several days then your systems will shut down and even though they will hate to do it your family will have to make the choice to let you go."

"Wait a sec... My family?"

Seth sighed and nodded. "Yes their out in the waiting-" He was cut off as Lightning bolted from the room, moving through the halls. Seth rolled his eyes, with an aggravated growl and after a moment followed. "Like father like son apparently..." He mused to himself, silently stepping through the double doors and into the world outside.

Lightning was ahead of him, quietly marveling at his sudden ability to walk through walls. Though after the meaning of that set in it seemed to frighten him the stock car and he took off again, bolting into the waiting room. His loved ones sat in morbid silence, in the waiting room, a bit of surprise crossing Lightning's features at the sight of his family and friends together. Though he got over it relatively quickly. "Doc!" He called, bolting forward, though the ageing race car didn't even blink in his direction.

"He can't hear you." Seth chirped in a sing song voice. "None of them can."

"Lightning?"

"Alright maybe him... Damn it who brought a medium to the party?" Seth demanded glaring at Dakoda. The little truck had abruptly stood to all four tires and had his full attention drawn to Lightning, sightless gaze an eery milky white.

The entire group turned their attention to Dakoda as he got up and moved towards Lightning. Ripper sighed heavily and stood up to move with him. "No Dakoda. No Lightning. Come park it."

Joe winced quietly and offered the others an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry. We didn't have anywhere to take him. Dakoda hasn't been right since the loss of his vision."

"He's blind?" Doc questioned gaining a nod from Joe.

"Yes... It's a very long story. He went quite mad soon afterwards. Sees things that aren't there and hears voices the whole nine yards." Joe quietly explained, voice lowering to keep Dakoda from hearing.

"But he can see me." Lightning mused, not quite understanding where this was going.

"Yes he can... He's a medium."

Lightning gave Seth a blank look until the mustang sighed and went on. "He can talk to the dead."

"Oh... So he's not crazy?"

"Oh he's crazy as a bed bug. But he can 'see' the spiritual world. Not the physical one. Actually their's more than one sensitive in the group..." He paused for a moment and gestured one tire in the direction of the Sheriff. "Him... Not the full blown deal... But he is sensitive to the spirit world. Interesting group you acquaint yourself with."

"Alright... So what's sensitive?"

"It means he can probably sense that you are here... But he doesn't know enough about his ability to channel it. Though he could probably be spoken to very easily through dreams." Seth mused quietly.

"Kody come on. Let's go for a walk." Ripper offered, still trying to coax the little truck away from 'Lightning'.

"But I want to talk to Lightning." He stated flatly, sightless gaze staring at nothing at all.

"You can talk to him later Kody."

Dakoda seemed to ignore him for the moment, turning his full attention on 'Lightning.' "They said you where hurt."

"I was in a wreck... On the race track." Lightning explained, ignoring the sour look from Seth.

"Oh... Like Grandpa?"

"Yeah... Like Grandpa... Only I'm going to be alright." He assured the young truck, though the truck didn't look so sure.

"Then why can I see you?"

"I don't know... I need you to tell Doc that I'm here."

"Who's Doc?" Dakoda questioned, gaining a puzzled expression from those who could only hear one side of the conversation.

"The older car beside Stone. Now tell him I'm here."

"Not a good idea." Seth commented, once more in a sing song voice.

Dakoda didn't seem to be listening to Seth, though he could certainly hear him. He drove up to Stone, the truck nudging against him, and taking in his scent. He knew where he was now as he moved in one direction. No not that way... To much of the familiar scent of Joe. He attempted the other way and found someone who wasn't so familiar. Doc...

"You're Doc?" He questioned, head tilting to the side. Doc nodded for a moment before remembering he couldn't see that... "Yes I am..."

"I'm Kody." He stated quietly, then tilted a bit to the side in thought. "Lightning's here. He wanted you to know." He stated simply, drawing an entirely puzzled gaze from Doc.

"They think he's nuts." Seth commented.

"I know..." Lightning muttered to himself then grinned. "Not for long. Dakoda... Tell him that on our last race around Willie's Butte, I won. First time."

Dakoda nodded quietly and turned his focus back to Doc. "Lightning said that your last race around Willie's Butte, he won. First time he did that."

Doc stared at him for a moment, frown crossing his grill. "How did you know that..."

"Rip take Dakoda outside for some air." Stone suddenly cut in, a frown crossing his grill.

Lightning paused at the sudden turn around and cursed softly. Stone... So entirely no nonsense. He should have known he would be the one to put an end to this.

"I'm sorry about that." Stone offered quietly as Ripper guided an irritated Dakoda out of the waiting room. "He's always a bit worse in hospitals for some reason. We can take him back to the hotel."

"He couldn't have known that." Doc muttered, the group from Radiator Springs exchanging glances. Even half of them hadn't known that. So how did the truck know?

Lightning groaned to himself and silently picked up pacing, idly circling where the Sheriff was parked, only because he knew it would have annoyed the hell out of him if he could actually be seen.

"Alright... So how long have I got?" He suddenly asked, stopping to glare at Seth.

"Well your body will officially die in three days." Seth offered, a shrug given. "You are coming with me now." He stated, pleasant smile given.

"Not gonna happen." Lightning pointed out. "Give me three days. There has to be something..."

"There is nothing. You can fight it and fuss and argue all you want but you are going to die in three days. The stars have already been set into motion. If you wait much longer than that you run the risk of becoming a rogue spirit-"

"A what?" Lightning cut in gaining a sour look from Seth.

"A rogue spirit. A ghost. This can go several different was. There are people who do not remember life... and those who do not remember death. You will begin to lose track of time. Suddenly wind up in a place and not be able to remember how you got there or what you're doing. There are times that you won't even be able to remember who you are or where. That's the reaction to death. You still remember now of course, because it's still fresh. Hell your body is just down the hall... Either way this will end soon and when your body is in the ground unless you trust me there isn't much I can do for you."

Lightning sighed and closed his eyes, silently circling the waiting room again. "Three days... I won't go before that. I'm not going anywhere until I'm actually dead." He insisted, drawing an aggravated sigh from Seth.

"Lightning this is absolutely-" He paused for a moment, the sound of a sharp beeping coming from him. He frowned, silently checking a small electronic device and rolled his eyes. "Plane crash... No survivors. You're lucky this time." He muttered, backing up a bit. "Don't think that this is the end of this. I need to take care of this and I'll be back. But don't think for a moment you can escape death." He warned, eyes narrowing. With that the wall behind him opened up into a tunnel leading to an almost blinding light. Seth cranked his engine and abruptly drove off, leaving Lightning alone to his thoughts...

"Alright... Contacting Dakoda didn't pan out... But Seth said he wasn't the only one who might be able to hear me..." Lightning said to himself, silently driving up and down one of the many halls.

"He said that the Sheriff was a sensitive... So all I need to do is wait for him to fall asleep and-"

"Really think that's going to work?"

Lightning froze in his tracks and spun around, eyes narrowing. At the end of the hall a small black sports car sat, somewhat settled against the wall in a relaxed manor that suggested a no nonsense attitude that he was accustomed to seeing in Stone.

"Gotta say, I'm impressed. Not to many people stand up to death. But your plans suck. Think that just because they know you haven't crossed over yet that you'll be safe?"

"Who... Are you?" Lightning questioned, coming a bit closer. A small black vehicle of a sports car fashion. A Viper to be exact.

"Name's Ebony. Ebony Talon."

"Right... And you can see me because you're a medium?"

"No... I can see you because I'm dead."

Lightning yelped and backed up quickly the shock of that information causing Ebony to laugh.

"Hey now don't go freaking out on me. After all I'm thinking you're having a bit of a problem with your physical identity yourself." She pointed out, another soft chuckle given.

"Right..." Lightning muttered, still a bit weary though after a few moments did move a bit closer. "So... Why are you here then?"

Ebony chuckled softly and grinned. "Let's just say that Seth's record isn't exactly flawless when it comes to getting his car."

Lightning's interest peaked at that, attention entirely drawn.

"As a matter of fact there's at least one car I know that escaped him all together once and got right back in his body. Seth's still a little pissed off about that. Probably why he's taking it out on you."

Lightning gave a hard shake of his prow, suddenly backing up. "No. There is absolutely no way." That was about the extent of what he could take from this... He turned on a wheel and set off down the hall, drawing a sigh from Ebony.

"Hey Lightning!" She called after the stock car's retreating form. "Dakoda's a bust! No one's ever going to believe the insane. Set your sights on the Sheriff!" She yelled, though Lightning was already gone...

The waiting room had dropped once again to an uneasy silence in the impending storm...

Ripper had come back after a while, leading a still somewhat agitated Dakoda. The little truck had rushed in and searched the entire waiting room before seeming to be somewhat content that Lightning wasn't there and sat down to wait. There was several things that the Sheriff noticed upon meeting Lightning's family.

First off, he didn't seem to be directly related to the trucks. No surprise there. Second, Stone was as rude as they came. His remarks where almost acid like and he had very little patients. Third his mother seemed a bit... distant. As if she refused to see anything bad that could come of the world. Fourth they all seemed very quick to point out that Lightning's father was missing. Possibly a sore spot for all of them that he wasn't there. Finally there was never a stranger group. Stone caused that gut feeling to go off again, stating very clearly that he was bad news. In some way or another he needed to watch out for that one.

He sighed softly and silently stood to his tires, a tired smile shot in the direction of those he knew before silently heading out of the waiting room. He needed air all of a sudden. He kept moving down the hall, ignoring that cold feeling that hospital's tended to bring and stepped out into the night air. He was actually a bit surprised to see the night sky. Had that much time passed? It had been late afternoon when they first came in... He really hadn't thought that much time had passed. Though apparently it had... The reporters had finally left well enough alone, the only vehicles in the parking lot being Mack, and a few others that where likewise enjoying the night air.

"Nice night."

The voice caught him so off guard he spun in place, coming face to face with Ripper.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to startle ya. Stealth training. Never goes away." He explained with a shrug, silently stepping a little ways away from him. A brief flame followed by a steady glow suggested he had just lit a cigarette causing the Sheriff to give a soft growl. "That's a disgusting habit you know."

Ripper offered a smile and nodded. "Sorry" He offered, backing up several feet so that the scent was well away from him. "Old habits die hard. So whatcha out here for?"

Sheriff sighed quietly, glancing out at traffic coming and going. "Needed air. You?"

Ripper laughed and shrugged. "Needed a break from Kody. I love that little truck but sometimes ya just need air ya know? Anyway Stone can usually have better luck with him when he's like this. Think he's about to hit full blown... Well we call um episodes. Don't think he understands what's happening to much."

Sheriff nodded a bit, thinking back onto the brief attack that had occurred in the waiting room. "Understandable... Though Stone didn't seem all that comfortable with-"

"Stone's a good truck." Ripper cut in, seeming to be reading his mind. The massive truck gave a sigh, silently letting his cigarette drop to the ground and crushing it out with one tire. "When Kody first started getting like this... A doctor put him in a mental hospital. Stone didn't like it at all. When he finally got him out, Kody was almost gone... He's convinced it was locking him away that did it. He tries to keep him safe. Doesn't want people to think he can't handle his care. Doesn't want people to think that he needs to be committed again. That's all." Ripper offered with a soft sigh and shrugged. "Stone kinda takes care of all of us. Use to take care of Lightning to after his father took off... They didn't end on the best of terms. Lightning wanted to race... Stone wanted him to get into something a bit more level headed. Says that was the reason his father took off. Think he was afraid Lightning would take off to... Like father like son ya know... In the end it was Stone that wound up driving Lightning away."

Sheriff nodded slowly a frown crossing his grill. That in some backwards way did make sense. It also explained why none of them had ever heard Lightning bring up the topic of his family... "So tell me Ripper... Just who is Lightning's father?"

Ripper thought for a moment and gave an idle shrug. "Never met him myself. Stone did once. Stone was a friend of the old man back then. Lightning's Grandpa. Took up taking care of the family when the old man passed. Don't think old man McQueen even really knew where his son went off to. Joe says he took off the second she said pregnant. Didn't even stick around long enough to hear twins."

"Twins?" Sheriff questioned, honestly more than a little shocked.

Ripper paused and gave a chuckle, light shrug given. "Yeah, guess he never mentioned that... Jordan. Good kid. Helps Stone out a lot at the ranch."

Sheriff nodded a bit, slight sigh muttered as he stared out across the night sky. He knew a lot more than he did... Though that wasn't exactly helping him out much.

There had to be a way out... Lightning just knew it. It couldn't just end like this.

"Alright... Think, think..."

"You're talking to yourself again. Not the best pass time in the world, for both the living and the dead." Lightning stopped his pacing to spin around and glare at the black Viper in the doorway. He had finally found refuge in the hospital chapel, the quiet of the place at least somewhat comforting.

"Look, I don't wanna fight so let's be friends again." She chirped, coming to park beside him.

"We never where friends..."

"I know that but that's what people say in times like these. Weather you want to admit it or not I want to help you."

Lightning gave a somewhat suspicious look and settled down where he parked. "Why?"

Ebony laughed, that somewhat cocky grin crossing her grill. "Let's just say I like to see Death screwed over. He deserves it. The first thing you need to know is that Death is out to screw you over. He doesn't want you to win. If you understand that you'll be fine."

Lightning nodded slowly, and heaved a sigh. "So how does that further help me?"

"Well keep listening and you might find out. Second, he doesn't like you. I mean you in particularly. He really wants to be able to take you to his superior and say, hey look what I got."

"But why me-"

"Hey, still talking here. Stay with me hot shot."

Lightning only nodded as Ebony launched right back into her explanation. "Third you have to be ahead of the game. Know what he's going to do and understand that he knows what you're going to do because he knows everything. You get a lot of information over here that the mortals don't."

Ebony paused for a moment, falling silent before a grin crossed her grill. "Oh that's it! There's another option. Have you noticed a black book that he carries with him?"

Lightning gave her a blank look and sighed. "I've noticed a cell phone and a pager but-"

"Maybe a palm pilot or something then. He might have gone digital. Doesn't really matter. Ask him if you can see his lists. Tell him you want to see your name on his list. If your name is there unfortunately there's not much you can do. Your number is up. If it's not he's full of it. If it's there but there's a little mark beside it, your name has been called but you do have a chance to get out of it. You're at one of your exits in life but not necessarily the last one."

"Exits?"

Ebony grinned and nodded. "Yup. Every life has five of them. Five places in life that you can get out if you want. Then after that the next time you get into trouble you're out. You also have one point that no matter what your number is up. So no matter what happens you're gone."

"So... What happened to you?"

Ebony sighed and set back briefly on her tires. "Well... In the line of work I was in, my exits used up fast. Then my number was up. But I also know that in my line of work... I'm not exactly going to a good place. Hence why I'm so keen to get away from death."

Lightning nodded slowly to that, the two for the moment falling silent.

"Oh and one more thing." Ebony offered, slight wince given. "Don't ask him straight up to see his lists. Kinda lead up to it. Ya know, how do you know my number is up and all that... If you ask him straight up he'll know I'm around and that's something I would very much like to avoid."

"Sure no problem." He offered, a somewhat puzzled look given.

"Oh, almost forgot. If you insist on trying to talk to your friends, the truck isn't going to be able to help you. The cop however is."

"But Death said that he was only a sensitive..."

Ebony shrugged idly, a slight smirk crossing her grill. "He's probebly more powerful than your truck friend. Ever hear the expression if you don't use it you lose it? Well lets just say he hasn't used it in a very, very long time. It will be very difficult for him to communicate. Also there's a grief wall there..."

Lightning tilted his frame a bit, a puzzled gaze shot towards her. "A what?"

"A grief wall. Come with me." She stated, getting up and leaving the safety of the chapel. They rolled down the hall in silence until they where once again on the ICU hall. Though instead of going into Lightning's room Ebony cut left and ducked into someone else's. In the room a small truck maybe the age of ten or eleven sat deathly still. Around him machines and computers beeped and kept track of everything he did, the truck obviously in a deep coma.

On the other side of the small child vehicle sat a much older one. The ageing truck was older truck was old enough to be the child's grandmother but she was obviously the primary caretaker. Though to Lightning's surprise the weeping truck looked as if there was a cloud of smoke around her.

"That's grief shock. In the most extreme cases. If it happens to a medium someone from this plane can't talk to them until the fog clears. Even then until the grief fades back loved ones can't get through. The fog goes away in a week or two. In the Sheriff's case it was..." She sighed quietly and settled back on her tires, a slight smile given. "Well, that's for another time. It's not my place to tell that story."

Lightning gave a puzzled look, turning to face her. "How do you even know it?"

Ebony paused for a moment, seeming to think that over and smiled. "Let's just say I have my ways. You would be surprised what people from this plane of existence know."

"Yeah but that's kinda personal..."

Ebony rolled her eyes and rolled up so that she was only an inch or two away from Lightning. "Your favorite color is red..."

"Well obviously..."

"You're a race car..."

"Again obviously..."

Ebony narrowed her eyes and smirked. "Your birthday is June the sixth..."

"Could have looked that up in any racing record."

"And when you where four you had a little stuffed tractor named Mr. Buttons and you carried him around with you everywhere."

"Wait a sec, how did you-"

"When you where five you where racing in the house, like your mother told you NOT to do and ran right through the sliding glass door. You're brother Jordan told her that he did it because you where already in trouble and he was known for being a klutz."

"Alright now that's just-"

"The night before you left for California at that big Piston Cup race last year you got into a huge fight with Stone about your career. That's why he didn't come to the race and hasn't been to a race since and you haven't spoken to him since. But what you don't know is that he never misses a race on TV and Doc called him to tell him you where hurt he had been already calling every hospital in the area to try to find you, and was already on his way out the door when Doc caught him."

Lightning froze and offered an honestly puzzled look. "Really? He did that? I didn't think he watched any of the races."

Ebony only smiled and shrugged. "You may be a McQueen but you where raised a Knight."

Lightning sighed and nodded quietly. She had a point. Ebony opened her mouth to speak again, though after a moment she froze. "Death's coming." She muttered, and indeed Lightning could feel it. A cold tightening to the air and a chill that caused breath to fog. Ebony gave an apologetic look and as quickly as she was there she was gone.

"There you are. Was beginning to think I'd lost you. Though that certainly doesn't happen. And in the presence of my next client to."

Lightning spun around, to face the Mustang, a slight glare shot in his direction. "Don't you have other people to torment?"

"Actually, weather you believe it or not you're not my only client in this hospital. I came here to see little David." He offered, his full attention turning to the child. "Though you can stay if you want. Might actually be good for you."

"You leave him alone! Can't you see their suffering enough?"

"Exactly. He's suffering. And in this case he will never wake up. Now if you don't mind, hush up before you frighten one of them." He hissed and moved to the child's side.

The Mustang was silent for a long moment. After several seconds a bright light emitted from the child vehicle sending the machines hooked up to him into a frenzy. Within' moments the child was parked beside death, watching as doctors and nurses swarmed around his body and his hysterical grandmother was lead from the room.

Within' a moment it was like someone had hit mute on a TV. The swarming noise was cast into silence... They still moved and did what they could, but Death had blocked the sound. "Much better." He offered, a charming smile offered to the young truck.

"Are you an angel?" The truck questioned, bringing a chuckle from Seth. "Something like that. I am an angel, just not the kind that you see on TV or in books."

"Do you know God?" The child questioned, wide eyed in awe.

"Yes as a matter of fact I do know the creator. Very well." Seth offered with a chuckle. "I play tennis with him on Tuesdays."

"Wow..." The child offered, obviously in awe to that. He then looked around, puzzlement on his features. "Where's Grandma?"

"Oh don't you worry about your grandmother. She'll be coming with you very soon. But for right now you have to go ahead of her. You're going to cross over. Do you know what that means?"

"It means I'm dead?" David questioned, eyes widening. Seth smiled and nodded quietly.

"Yes David, it does. But it's not scary. You're going to go home. And do you know who's over there?"

David whimpered softly though seemed to be listening at least.

"Well for one your grandpa. He's going to meet you on the other side. There's always someone to meet you on the other side you know. There's also your mother and father. There's a lot of people over there waiting to say hello to you David. You're going to a good place." David smiled a bit, pulling a chuckle from Seth.

"Now come on. You don't want to keep them waiting." He instructed turning away. David moved quickly to catch up, coming up to Seth's side and pressing against him as he had been taught to do with all of the adults in his life. Seth, thumped his tire against the ground three times and a great tunnel opened, that brilliant light at the end.

"I'm coming back for you Lightning." He warned quietly before setting off into the tunnel to take David home.

Now... for the three words no one wants to hear...

To be Continued...

-notes- Thanks all for the reviews! I'm coming out with more chapters as fast as I can and as for what's going to happen, you'll just have to wait and see! Cheerio!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Yes! We got one! The Cars characters belong to Pixar and Disney. Stone Knight is mine. No touchy! I also created Seth, Josephine McQueen, Henry McQueen, Jeff McQueen, Jordan McQueen, Dakoda Knight, Ripper Knight, Ebony Talon, Julia Carson and Sumara Knight. The NASCAR people are copyright of themselves, including references of Junior, Gordon, Jarrett, Burton, Martin, Wallace and a few others to name a few. I don't own them (Kinda wish I did) their real and very talented racers that I just love. Don't sue me! I have no money anyway!

Also if by some chance you like the character Stone, he has his very own story out there. Read more about our favorite grumpy old truck in "Let Freedom Ring" and the sequel "Already There". A work in progress that will eventually span a complete set of seven stories. Happy reading!

-Note- We actually need one this time. This chapter is going to start getting a little darker. A little cursing... A little emotion... Kinda creepy at points. If you have any issues with this stop reading now. I would also like to note that the opinions stated in this story about death and the after life are not necessarily my own opinions. This is a creative licence but from here on the story will get a bit more in depth into the after life side. Once again, it's just a story but if this offends you please don't read any further. Would also like to thank all those who are leaving reviews. Thanks y'all!

And to answer a question, no you're not missing anything. I was starting chapter 3 when I put 2 up. Thanks to those slow days at work, very frequently it turns out that way. Frankly chapter three gave me the creeps while I was writing it so I decided to go ahead and up the rating. That's what I was referring to. Thank you and happy reading!

A storm...

It had blown in an hour ago and hadn't let up yet. Rain pelted his side as if someone where firing a pellet gun at him steadily. The sharp sting of the water though was nothing compared to the chill it brought with it.

From where he sat parked in the hospital parking lot, Jeff McQueen was the absolute picture of misery. A black stock car with deep red fading up his sides and across his hood. For years... He had watched his boys grow from a distance. Unable to step into their lives. That was the price he paid he supposed. He stood in the back of every graduation... Every school play... Every activity his twin boys had ever been in. Later down the road he had focused in on Lightning's races. Jordan and Lightning both had turned into fine young cars. He supposed he wasn't to thank for that in the least.

Their mother... She was the miracle worker here. He also supposed their grandfather, Jeff's father, set a tire into that one... Along with the truck. As much as he hated to watch that truck run his life... Jeff could honestly say that he himself... Just didn't deserve that kind of life.

Therefore he kept back. Back in the shadows where he belonged.

Though that horrible crash... Had driven him here. He hadn't been able to bring himself to go into the hospital at first... Lightning was surrounded by friends... People that he knew. He highly doubted the kid had ever even seen a picture of him...

He had been watching as the older car that he recognized as Lightning's crew chief had come out to the trailer to place a few calls. Still Jeff had waited... He had just about wrangled up the courage to go in... When the family had shown up.

Joe... As lovely as ever. The kids had gotten their looks from her. He was sure of that. Ripper and Dakoda... He had always liked Dakoda even through his insanity. It wasn't the truck's fault. Then finally Stone... Stone would tear into him if he saw him. He knew it. The fear of Stone was what kept him out in the storm now and not inside.

It was several more hours before misery drove him inside... If Stone jumped at him... Well he deserved it anyway. The truck would probably have quite a bit to say. He silently moved into the hospital, getting the waiting room where they where from the receptionist at the front desk and silently trudged off to locate his family.

It was an almost oppressing silence... No one really had all that much to say to each other. It was starting to edge onto midnight when most of those from radiator springs chose to head back to the hotel leaving Doc and Sheriff alone with Lightning's family.

The visiting hours that had been promised had never happened. Lightning had gone unstable again... The only condolence anyone could offer was maybe tomorrow.

It was edging on close to midnight when the waiting room doors opened, a silent stock car edging into the room. Doc and Sheriff glanced up, curious to this new comer though Stone immediately tensed.

"Uh Oh... Trouble..." Ripper muttered as Stone got to his tires and moved forward with a deep growl.

"Who is that?" Doc questioned, drawing a wince from Joe.

"Lightning's father." She responded, softly.

"Last time those two tangled Jeff made it out a mangled wreck. Stone barely had a scratch. Jeff's scared to death of that truck so don't know why he's showin' up now." Ripper muttered softly.

Stone stalked up to the stock car, who despite himself stood his ground. Any other time he would have possibly quickly backed down, though drastic circumstances caused for very drastic measures.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Stone growled out, his voice soft though he might as well bellowed it. Despite himself, Jeff took a step back.

"Well last I checked my son was hurt and in this establishment. Don't start with me Stone." Jeff shot back, eyes narrowing.

"Oh so you've finally decided to give parenthood a shot? Little late for that don't ya think?" Stone commented.

Jeff sighed heavily and closed his eyes for a moment. "Stone nothing I can say would ever make things right with you but you're not going to stand between me and my son."

Stone rolled his eyes, a deep growl given. "Oh please. That old stuffed tractor he use to drag around was more of a father than you ever where-"

"Both of you stop it!" Joe yelled, cutting them both off before the argument escalated anymore.

"Stone, he may not be much of a father but Lightning is his son and he has just as much of a right to be here as you do now sit down." She yelled, causing the gray truck to instantly back off.

Jeff smirked, though it was quickly gone at a glare form Joe herself. "Jeff if you cause any trouble what so ever, and that includes aggravating Stone I swear I will throw you out of this hospital on your fender myself." She hissed, pulling a quick nod from him.

"Good, now the both of you park it. I swear I don't know what it is about the two of you but you both become more territorial than anyone I know when you're in the same room together."

The stock car and truck exchanged a long glare before they both found a place to settle down, Jeff purposely settling himself as far away from the truck as he could. Joe sighed and rolled her eyes, parking so that she was a barrier between the two.

"What was that all about?" Sheriff whispered quietly to Ripper.

The truck only smiled and got up. "You two take a walk with me"

Doc and Sheriff exchanged a glance but after a moment followed the black truck.

"So that's Lightning's father..." Doc muttered, silently leaning against the wall of the main lobby. Normally it would be hopping but at this late of an hour it was silent.

"Yup..." Ripper offered, stretching a bit. "Left before Lightning and Jordan where born. Stayed away for years. Then one day he popped back up again. Wasn't willin' to be a parent but just kinda watched. Ya know, popped up in the back of kindergarten graduation... Popped up in the crowed when Lightning was in track... Popped up in the back of school plays where Jordan was concerned... Noticed him, just never really confronted him about it. But for some reason it made Stone nervous. He had just lost his wife and I guess he was overly protective about the kids... He confronted Jeff and told him to either be a part of their lives or butt out. Jeff wasn't to inclined to do either. So Stone tore into him."

Ripper sighed a bit and silently paced the room, slight chuckle given as Dakoda followed suite. The little truck had simply followed after a few moments, probably aware of the tension in the waiting room. Though honestly he simply found Ripper's upbeat personality comforting at times.

"Sleepy bud?" Ripper questioned, causing the deep red truck to stop, tilting on his frame.

"You tired Kodes?" He asked again, this time getting a nod.

"You want to go to bed then?" He pressed on, the little truck seeming to think on that. After a while he got a nod.

"Alright Kodes. We'll go find a hotel." Dakoda grinned and nodded, seeming more than happy to leave the hospital setting.

"You'll never find one this time of night." Doc muttered, silently producing a key card. "We're staying at the Holiday Inn, on speedway drive. Room 308. Why don't you stay there for the night?" He offered, drawing a smile from Ripper.

"Thanks... Think we will. Sorry to leave you with the trouble. If they get to bad, just tell them their acting like children. That usually shuts them both up." Ripper advised, a nod offered to the two before he silently guided Dakoda out of the hospital, the little truck making comments all the way out and talking to people who where not there.

"Well I'm goin' back to the waiting room." Doc commented, slight sigh given.

"Good luck on that..." Sheriff responded quietly. "Think I'm gonna go for a little drive."

Doc only nodded, silently making his way back to the waiting room.

Lightning sighed heavily as he paced the halls once more, making his way back to the chapel. The peace and quiet was somewhat comforting as he silently parked, deep in thought. He was still pondering his current predicament when someone pulled up beside him.

He sighed heavily a roll of his eyes given as Seth only offered a grin. "So, ready to go home yet?"

"No..." He stated flatly, sour glare shot straight ahead.

Seth shrugged and settled back, soft hum given. "You know... A lot of people come here from this hospital. Some to pray... Some to take in the silence... Some to simply... Grieve."

"Yeah..." Lightning muttered, silently glancing around the chapel. The stained glass windows where dark now, only moonlight available to filter through the elegant colors of the glass. The front of the chapel had no alter, this place not intended for services. It did however have a simple stand with a bible where a few words could be said, should someone want to.

"So... What's it like on the other side?" Lightning questioned, a soft sigh muttered.

"Well I like it. Though it's not something I can tell you because frankly it's different for everyone. You create your own after life in a way. What you see as heaven or hell might not be what the next person sees as heaven or hell. Either way that part doesn't really matter. What does matter is that you're going home. It's sort of a feeling of... Completion."

"Alright... But I'm not ready for that." Lightning insisted, drawing a deep sigh from Seth.

"Why me? Why now?"

"Your number's up kid."

"What do you mean my number is up?" Lightning challenged.

"Your name is on my lists. That's what it means."

"Well I want to see it." Lightning stated, slight smirk crossing his grill.

Seth, sighed and rolled his eyes, silently tapping his tire against the floor. A silvery glow appeared in the front of the chapel, an elaborate stand appearing out of thin air, a heavy black, leather bound book settled on it.

"Once again, theatrics, but that one never gets old." Seth commented with a smirk as Lightning pulled forward, peeking at the ageing pages. His name stood boldly along with a few others... Though beside it... A small Celtic knot.

"What's that?" He questioned, referring to the knot. "No other name has it..."

"A mark." Was Seth's simple response.

"Well I can see that. What for?"

He waited several minutes before turning around. Seth was gone. He sighed and glanced back to the book, only to find the book, along with the stand gone. "Gotcha" He muttered quietly. Seemed for the moment he was one up. Seth was probably hoping he would forget.

He rather liked the chapel. After Seth had left him the last time he had for the most part been left alone. It was edging onto two in the morning before someone disturbed his peace. He was more than a little surprised to see him there... Though he supposed he really shouldn't be.

The Sheriff silently moved into the room and parked a little ways away from Lightning.

"Hey Sheriff." Lightning muttered softly, though unsurprisingly Sheriff didn't even move.

"Don't know what to do." Sheriff muttered after a moment, instantly catching Lightning's attention. Was he talking to him?

"Not a position I'm normally in Julia... Could really use you around tellin' me what to do right about now." He muttered, drawing a puzzled gaze from Lightning. Who was Julia?

"Miss ya. Every single day."

Lightning was beginning to get the feeling this wasn't really a conversation he should be listening in on. It was part of Sheriff's personal life...

He sighed softly and silently reached out a tire, laying it against the Sheriff's side attempting to at least offer a bit of comfort. To his surprise Sheriff snapped to attention glancing around the room. Had he felt that? Lightning frowned and gave him a light thump with one tire. That seemed to be enough for Sheriff. He silently rolled out of the chapel, leaving a very stunned Lightning behind.

Silence had descended once again, Sheriff returning to find very much the same as when he left. Jeff and Stone glared at each other... Joe glared at the both of them, demanding they behave themselves... Doc ignored them all and idly flipped through an old gardening magazine. Sheriff silently parked beside Doc as the ageing car tossed down the magazine with a sigh.

"Anything?" Sheriff questioned, gaining a shake of Doc's grill.

"Nothing. I highly doubt that they'll tell us anything tonight. Visiting hours are technically over so more than likely we won't hear anything until morning unless something really big happens."

Sheriff nodded and settled back once more, staring off into space. That seemed to be about it... He could well remember waiting around for something to happen... He hadn't liked it then he certainly didn't like it now.

"So, you're Lightning's crew chief?" It was Jeff's voice that finally broke the silence drawing the attention of both Doc and Sheriff.

"Yes I am. The boy's got a lot of talent." Doc offered, smile crossing his grill. Stone growled softly, though a glare from Joe, quickly shut him up.

"Figured he would... Boy comes from a long line of race cars. Figured that was what he would wind up being." Jeff offered with a slight chuckle.

Stone growled once more, though this time he seemed not to be able to take anymore and abruptly got to his tires and left the waiting room, in an odd hobbling gait. Jeff gave a roll of his eyes, though once again with a sharp look from Joe, he didn't say a word.

"So you raced I take it?" Doc questioned, gaining a brief nod from Jeff. "Yep... His grandfather to. As well as his uncle. Think there was even a few racer's on Joe's side..."

"Yes..." She offered, the small car glancing up. "My brother. His brother wound up being a stock car as well, though Jordan never had the flair for racing that Lightning did. Actually I'm not so sure he ever liked it. I'm fairly certain he only went out to the track because Lightning and his Grandfather where out there."

"How is Jordan?" Jeff questioned, bringing a sigh from Joe. "He's alright. Hasn't really found his lot in life yet. Right now he helps Stone out at the ranch, but I don't think he really enjoys that life. It's just a job to do. Stone kinda encourages to go out and travel."

"Kinda surprising... Isn't he the one who was so stubborn when it came to Lightning."

That gained a slight glare from Joe. "Don't start Jeff. Stone never had a problem with Lightning traveling or even racing. He simply didn't want him to become you."

Jeff didn't have a response to that, instead choosing to fall silent...

Lightning paced the halls, idly circling the nurse's sation in a daze. So now what? This was starting to become a bit ridiculous...

"You know, pacing isn't going to help." It was Ebony's voice that once more startled him from his thoughts.

"You've got him on the run I think. Disappeared kinda fast."

"There was a little Celtic thing by my name. What does that mean?" Lightning questioned getting right to the point.

"That you're death is likely but not written in stone. You surviving is probable but highly unlikely. It's also probably depending on a few factors, that are currently out of your tires." She explained, a light shrug given.

"So in this case, talking to someone could help?"

"Maybe..." Ebony sighed heavily and closed her eyes, seeming to be thinking on something. "What if-" Though she abruptly cut herself off, a sharp freezing of the air taking over."

"I somehow figured you where causing trouble again, my little bird. Time to fly away home for you." Ebony spun around, Seth offering her a disarming grin. "Now see Lightning this is not the kind of person you want to be spending time with. She's a trouble maker."

Ebony growled, slowly backing up as the air brought on a heavy chill. The air seemed almost to solidify making it muggy and difficult to breath, the cold ice to the air turning itself into an almost oppressing heat. Slow growls seemed to come from the shadows themselves a soft hiss emitting from Seth. The heat seeped in from the shadows, sending a steam like hiss into the freezing air it cut through.

"Time for you to stop playing these games Ebony. Boys!" The shadows where moving... A slithering mass, that the living world seemed to walk right by, the living world in fact seeming to fade out to a dull haze. Ebony yelped and spun around, bolting out the double doors. The shadows themselves where coming alive to give chase, horrible moans and snarls emitting from them as they moved like living dead, the stench of rotting things cutting through the otherwise sterile hospital halls.

"Leave her alone!" Lightning snapped, spinning to face Seth.

Seth only rolled his eyes and snorted. "Oh please. That little tramp has been dead for years. It's time for her to go." He stated simply, glancing down the hall to see what had become of that little chase.

Ebony tore down the halls as fast as she could, attempting to avoid the shadows themselves. This late at night that wasn't an easy thing. Most of the lights where off, which meant she was driven primarily to darkness. The feel of finger like strands of shadows catching at her tires was enough to drive her on faster. Being caught at night was possibly not the smart thing... They lived in the darkness...

She turned a corner and skidded to a stop as a shadow rose up in front of her. It let out a massive scream and she ducked to the side to avoid. It grabbed at her, ice like claws scraping against her finish. The shadows that Seth had a tendency to control where horrid... Those claws scraped against her paint and sent a freeze right down to the pit of her fuel tank.

She burst in through the waiting room, her fear bringing with her a rush of bitter cold wind that snapped the double doors open and caused those in the waiting room to jump. She didn't stay there long, the doors on the other side bursting open for her, so hard that they hit the walls at either side, cracking the plaster despite the stoppers that where suppose to keep them from doing that. She set off down the hall fast, the cold grip of death closing in on her. Her wheels took her down hall after all until a stoke of genius hit her and she burst through the doors of the emergency room. The one place in the hospital that was always brightly lit. In the hallways they turned the lights down so that light was dim but not off... It tended to create quite a few shadows... But in the Emergency room... It was brightly lit. A screech of pain came from the double doors as a shadow attempted to leap into the light, the soft sizzle sending it back. She snickered softly and drove into the rush of the emergency room. She could hang around here for a while...

"You know... You are really starting to annoy me." Seth's voice froze her in her race to get away, the Viper sinking a bit lower on her tires. She let out a whimper, the Mustang circling her for a moment. "You and I have been through quite a bit Ebony. I notice you're starting to go soft. Why help at all? Think that's going to help you any? Think that's going to win you back into God's good grace?" He questioned idly, seeming to ignore the rush around him.

Ebony only smiled pleasantly and abruptly took off again, drawing a sigh from Seth. This was going to be a long night...

Alone... for the moment Lightning was left to his own thoughts, only the screech of tires that only he could hear to keep him company. Nurses moved along through the halls, oblivious to the high speed chase going on around them.

"Alright... So the shadows where a bit creepy but I can take this." Lightning muttered to himself as he pulled down another hall for the moment giving up on solitude. He found his way back to his own room, parking in a corner away from the twisting machines that where keeping his body alive and let out a heavy sigh. By now it was getting close to four in the morning.

"And how's contestant number two?" The voice caught him off guard entirely as he forced himself to pay attention. A nurse came into the room with a doctor right behind her, going on their last nightly rounds before the rounds of shift change in two hours.

"Still comatose Doctor. He's somewhat stable now."

"He's going to have to go back into surgery before the night's out." The doctor mused somewhat to himself and nodded. "Notify his family that he's still doing well. Their still out in the waiting room aren't they?"

"Yes sir."

"Alright..." He paused for a moment then sighed. "Never mind. I'll go out there myself. Keep an eye on him." He offered, shooting the tired nurse a smile.

She nodded and set about her task of checking the many machines surrounding Lightning and making certain that everything was in order as the doctor moved on ahead of her to the next patient in ICU, met up with that particular patient's nurse.

"You know, my son is a huge fan of yours." The nurse muttered picking up an idle, one sided conversation with her patient. Lightning offered her his attention, even though he knew that she only saw the broken race car. Not the very active spirit in the corner of the room.

"Always talking about McQueen this and McQueen that." She mused, taking note of what one of the machines said and jotting down what she found there. After a moment she smiled and sighed. "And here I am talking to someone who at the moment is even worse at conversation than my ex husband. Alright Mr. McQueen. I'll see you again at next rounds. They should be letting your family in to see you within' the next few hours." She offered with a smile, even though she was speaking to a comatose patient and silently made her way out of the room.

"Strange car." Lightning mused to himself. "But I like her."

_Dallas Texas 1954_

"_And in other news, the Fabulous Hudson Hornet has taken home yet another Piston Cup. He also broke several track records in the process-"_

_The radio announcer's voice was abruptly cut off as Deputy Mark Carson abruptly clicked off the radio, his interest in the local racing scene about zilch. Even when everyone was going so nutty about this Hudson Hornet._

"_S'pose it's a Texas thing. No movement in the heat of summer." He muttered to himself, soft chuckle given as he silently pulled around the endless city streets. Painfully quiet this afternoon, which wasn't exactly a bad thing. With the lack of calls he had taken to idly patrolling the city streets. He had broken up one quarrel between two young Chevy's, and pulled over some young hot rod for speeding but otherwise it had been silent. _

"_12 come back" The voice startled him from his thoughts as his radio hissed to life, his dispatcher's voice cutting through to his thoughts._

"_This is 12, go ahead." He responded, halfway expecting a call though knowing it wasn't gonna happen._

"_Your home HQ says that the eagle has landed. And off the record if you're late again this time you're tractor chow."_

_Mark laughed and silently moved on. "What time is it HQ?"_

"_Time for you to clock out and go home."_

_He chuckled and smiled to himself. Every night for the past week a call had come in just at the end of the shift, keeping him out later than expected. His wife wasn't happy in the least. That meant that dinner was ready and she wasn't taking him being late again._

"_Alright, go ahead and clock me out HQ"_

"_10-4"_

_Mark only laughed in response and changed direction, heading into the suburbs. That feeling that he was almost home maybe but the area he had been patrolling wasn't that far away. He pulled down the well known streets, and finally into his own home, pulling up into the small house he shared with his wife, an upbeat, deep blue, Mercury. _

"_Well it's about time." She commented, teasing smile crossing her grill as he pulled into the kitchen. The patrol car smirked, light chuckle muttered and offered her a nuzzle. _

"_Wouldn't dare be late again sweet heart." He commented, slight snicker given._

"_Just you remember that." She teased, pushing a can of oil to him and idly began wandering around the kitchen, a radio playing somewhere. He smiled to himself, a contented rumble given._

"_Love you Julia." He commented, drawing a smile from her as she settled down beside him with a can of oil of her own. He only laughed as she nudged him, the light hitting the silver wings etched artfully across her hood. Angel's wings she always called them. The feathery art came down across her hood and followed the curve across her grill and door panels. Most people took one look at her and gasped at the sight of that bold tattoo. This wasn't a time that it was all that widely accepted. But she had wanted it done. So when Mark had taken her to Cancun on their honeymoon he had suggested she hit one of the many art shops and have it done if she wanted it._

_He didn't care what anyone thought on that matter. She loved it and he had to admit so did he. It made her unique personality stand out._

_Suddenly she turned her attention away from the oil, her steady gaze falling onto him as if she had something important to tell him. "Wake up Sheriff." She stated simply, drawing a puzzled look from Mark._

"_Excuse me?"_

"_Wake up." She stated again, this time what was a memory of a perfect life abruptly fading and hissing like a TV out of focus._

Sheriff snatched awake as Doc nudged him again, early morning light seeping in through the lone window of the waiting room. "Wake up. The doctor's coming." He explained softly the familiar face of the doctor that had come out earlier making his way towards them.

Sheriff shook himself awake, a slight blink given. His mind hadn't gone to that old life in a long dang time... As a matter of fact he hadn't had a dream about Julia since... He gave a slight rumble and turned his full attention to what the doctor had to say. He wasn't going there. He refused. Not after all this time.

"How is he?" Doc questioned, speaking for the group as a whole, Lightning's family simply falling silent for the time.

"Still stable. There hasn't been any change through the night good or bad but he is hanging in there. We're probably going to have to take him back into surgery before the night is out and see if we can clean up a bit what we couldn't get to before. He's on full life support right now, but he's definitely hanging in there." The doctor explained, drawing a slight smile from those gathered.

"Thank you Doctor." Doc offered, drawing a nod from the vehicle as he silently pulled back through the double doors. That was that apparently. The group sighed heavily once again as the waiting room once more lapsed into complete silence.

"Lost him." Ebony happily chirped as she came into Lightning's room a few hours later. "Though I think he gave up the chase for now. Something about a shooting and someone's who's going directly to you know where... Hey you ok?" She questioned, parking beside the stock car, a soft sigh drawing from him.

"Not really..." He muttered, staring at his own comatose form. "What if I don't wake up?"

"You're going to wake up." Ebony stated, slight smile given. "Failure isn't an option. I mean look at me. I'm still here."

"Yeah but I would rather be alive. Not in limbo." He commented, heavy sigh muttered.

"Well I suppose anyone would but beggars can't be choosers." Ebony offered, a slight wince given. "Sorry. That was a bit... Cold. I mean... Eh forget it. So what do you want to do now?"

"I want to talk to someone..." Lightning muttered, watching the steady beep of a machine.

"You're officer friend is the best bet. He's been up all night with only a little half hour nap. Wait until he sleeps." She commented with a shrug. "Or you could try yelling at him and see if that works."

Lightning gave an aggravate sigh and suddenly got to his tires, heading out of the room. Ebony offered a sympathetic smile as he left, the stock car heading once again for the Chapel. A bit of silence for the moment was all he needed.

He was more than a little surprised to see the Sheriff once more parked in the chapel. Lightning had figured after he nudged him as he did, the Sheriff wouldn't be so keen on coming back. But there he was. Staring off into space and deep in thought.

A heavy sigh left the stock car as he parked beside him, sitting in companionable silence even though one of the pair didn't know the other was even there.

"Sheriff?" He questioned, attempting to catch the attention of the patrol car.

As expected... Nothing.

"Come on Sheriff. I don't know what to do. You and Doc always set me straight before. Why not now?" He questioned softly, a heavy sigh escaping him.

Sheriff continued to stare off into space as one tended to do when alone in a room. Though the briefest glimmer of recognition for a moment crossed his features. Though Lightning could have just as easily chalked that up to wishful thinking.

"Sheriff please..." He quietly begged, not really expecting him to hear anymore. "I'm desperate. I don't know who else to turn to and I need your help." He almost whispered, taking up staring at the floor in front of him. Though after a moment the Sheriff shifted, and quietly turned Lightning's world upside down.

"Boy if yer gonna talk to me, yer gonna have to speak up. I ain't talked to someone from that side in a long damn time."

To Be Continued...


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Yes! We got one! The Cars characters belong to Pixar and Disney. Stone Knight is mine. No touchy! I also created Seth, Josephine McQueen, Henry McQueen, Jeff McQueen, Jordan McQueen, Dakoda Knight, Ripper Knight, Ebony Talon, Julia Carson and Sumara Knight. The NASCAR people are copyright of themselves, including references of Junior, Gordon, Jarrett, Burton, Martin, Wallace and a few others to name a few. I don't own them (Kinda wish I did) their real and very talented racers that I just love. Don't sue me! I have no money anyway!

Also if by some chance you like the character Stone, he has his very own story out there. Read more about our favorite grumpy old truck in "Let Freedom Ring" and the sequel "Already There". A work in progress that will eventually span a complete set of seven stories. Happy reading!

Notes: Yes I've become fond of these little notes. Makes things so personal. Anywho, the story is steadily getting darker I think. Thanks all for the reviews! And I have nothing else to say... So... Rock on!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You can hear me?" Lightning's shocked voice seemed to come from everywhere and no where at the same time to the Sheriff. He winced and forced a slight nod, attempting to drive back the pain this little chat was causing.

"Yes..."

"So you can see me to?"

"No. It's like listening to a radio playing in another room. Doesn't always come in clear. Not anymore at least..."

"But it did once."

Sheriff sighed and nodded once more. "Once upon a time."

"What happened?"

"Not important." He snapped, tilting a bit so he could hear Lightning better.

"How long have you been able to talk to the dead?" Lightning questioned, for a moment the awe that Sheriff could actually hear him overpowering the sence that he really had to get out of there...

"Was born with the gift." Sheriff offered with a shrug. "Had an imaginary friend when I was little... Found out years later it was an old truck that died in the house before we moved in. So had it all my life. Just don't use it anymore." He shrugged off Lightning's questioning look and sighed. "Look, I need to know... What's happening?"

"Well... Ever hear of Seth, or Death as he's more commonly called and... Hey I just got that..."

The Sheriff rolled his eyes, gaze cutting in the direction he felt Lightning was. Of course all he saw was nothing. "Yes, I know of him. Could say we're sort of old friends. You see him?" He questioned, concern creeping into his voice. If he had already met up with death that could possibly mean it was already to late.

"Great! So does that mean you can tell him to back off?" He questioned, sounding a little to hopeful for the Sheriff's tastes.

"Sorry boy. I'm afraid that one's a little out of my league. Now why don't ya start from the beginning..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ebony silently crept around one of the many hospital corners attempting to stay in the light as much as she could. It was as if ice crept down the halls themselves putting a chill in the air that caused the breath of passing nurses to cloud and doctors to complain that something was wrong with the thermostat.

Under normal circumstances when Seth caught up to her she would be gone by now already... So why was she sticking around? She supposed she could chalk that up to the fact that she was flat out tired of running. Tired of trying to get away... Tired of everything...

"Why Ebony I'm hurt." She sighed and rolled her eyes, turning to face Seth. "Here I thought we where such good friends and here you are running from me. What has happened to our relationship?"

"Simple. We never had a relationship. Now isn't there other things you could be doing? Burning villages? Eating babies?"

"You're thinking of the abominable snow mobile I think." Seth mused and shrugged.

"I don't really care what I'm thinking of I-"

"I'm willing to cut a deal with you Ebony." Seth suddenly put in, cutting her off mid sentence.

Ebony blinked, that simple statement stunning her into silence. Since when did Death cut deals?

Seth smiled, that charming smile of his since he seemed to have caught her attention and idly wandered off down the hall. "You see Ebony I want that car. For reasons you well know." He mused, slight smirk given. Ebony narrowed her eyes, suspicion written across her features and followed.

"For some strange reason he seems to be either fond of you or for whatever reasons listens to you. You bring him to me and I'll call of the shadows." He offered, stepping in close to the walls so that the shadows poured over him, the heat they put out causing a hiss from Seth's ice cold hide.

Ebony swallowed hard and backed up a bit. That... Wasn't an option. But it did get her fender out of the fire...

"You'll see the reason. I know you will." Seth offered, smile crossing his grill. "After all. You're a smart girl." He mused, and just as quickly as he had come, Ebony was left alone again in the hallway.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So that's it Sheriff..."

Sheriff kept quiet for a long time after Lightning stopped talking, slight hum leaving him. "So... You're in a coma... And Death insists you're dead..."

"That's about the lot of it yeah. And there's this little viper that Death is after to and now I don't know where anybody is..."

"A Viper?" Sheriff questioned, cutting his gaze in the direction of Lightning's voice.

"Yeah, Ebony. Ebony Talon." He offered, getting up and pacing back and forth around the chapel. "She's straight to hell if Seth catches up to her apparently, which is why she's avoiding him..."

"Well yeah that would do it." Sheriff commented, and growled. "Settle down boy you're giving me one hell of a migraine wanderin' around like that."

Lightning winced and parked it, slight sigh muttered. "Sorry Sheriff."

"Alright... So if I can remember correctly-"

"Sheriff?"

The Sheriff winced and turned his attention to where Doc stood in the doorway, the older car giving his friend a somewhat concerned look. "Who are you talking to?"

"Myself actually." Sheriff commented, silently shifting into gear and pulling up alongside Doc. "Back to the waiting room then?"

Doc narrowed his eyes a bit and sighed. "I was gonna tell you that the doctor's are saying we can go see Lightning now... But maybe you need to go get some sleep."

"Eh, I'm alright Doc. Just a bit stressed maybe."

Doc nodded a bit, slight sigh given. "Know the feeling. Though still. After we see Lightning why don't you head back to the hotel... That's an order from your doctor Sheriff. Try and skip out on it and I can come up with a whole list of exams you've skipped out on over the years." He pointed out, silently making his way back to the waiting room a somewhat sheepish Sheriff tagging along behind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Seth smiled to himself as he silently stepped back through the tunnel system he tended to use to get around. That... was almost to perfect. It worked out well for him both ways.

"That was cold and you know it." He rolled his eyes as the argument hit him as soon as he stepped through the gates into the afterlife. Of course this also meant he got to hear it from the old man.

"Not now old man. Figured you would be happy with this development."

"Happy? You're screwing over my grandson and I'm suppose to be happy?" A jet black stock car stormed after him, as furious as he could possibly be. Henry McQueen... Father of Jeff McQueen and grandfather of Lightning McQueen.

"Hey, you'll be getting company soon."

"I have plenty of company. The only reason you want Lightning is because Jeff managed to get away from you, you sorry son of a-"

"Now, now Henry. That's quite a enough. Such a temper."

"Damn it Seth..."

"Really Henry. So vulgar." Seth commented flatly ignoring the old stock car as he wandered off. Henry narrowed his gaze at the retreating Mustang. Never had liked him. He briefly turned his attention back to the closing tunnel, his choice made within' moments. Tires spun as he charged forward shooting back through the passageway to the living world. If Seth even thought he was going to get away with this... He had another thing coming.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Dallas Texas 1954_

_A still darkness had fallen over the house, as peaceful as these summer nights ever got in Dallas. Outside the open window a lone cricket chirped, causing Mark to smile a bit. His wife, Julia, slept soundly at his side oblivious to the nighttime visitor. If she had been awake she would have had him searching for the poor bug to kill it. She hated them... With a passion._

_He listened quietly to the insect, soft chuckle muttered, the insect lulling him off to some form of sleep..._

_He recognized her... Her name was Hanna. Her picture had been on his desk for the past two weeks. A pretty little Thunder Bird Ford, baby blue in coloring with white working its way up her side and tail fins. She was missing... Disappeared from her home in the suburbs. Her disappearance was quietly whispered that it was connected to a string of deaths over the past few weeks. The word serial killer had been floating around but everyone was terrified to even utter it, as if saying it would make it true._

_They had been searching for her, for two weeks... Now she was in his dreams... Her image floated through his mind, her screams echoing in his thoughts... It only took him a moment or two to realize he wasn't dreaming anymore. She was in a wear house. Where she had been for the past two weeks. Her killer enjoyed tormenting her... _

_Horrible scratches now marred her pretty features. Her tormentor a familiar face to her. Her own neighbor. Someone she had trusted. Had given her keys to when the family went on vacation so he could water the plants. Had left her children with. Now he laughed as she suffered... She begged for mercy. Begged for him to kill her... He had taken liberties that she wouldn't even hand to her own husband all that willingly. Now... she had lost the will to live._

_He had taken joy in listening to her beg... But now... He had grown tired of her screams. Tired of her weeping. Tired of her pleas to end her life... He had killed her like an old dog that needed to be put down, and without a second thought dumped her body in the dessert._

_That misery was what brought her here tonight. She stood in Mark's home... Weeping uncontrollably the sounds mute to Julia but deafening to Mark. He snatched awake, and sighed heavily, her form pacing back and forth in the room._

"_Ma'am?" He questioned, the pretty little chevy snatching her attention to him._

"_My name is Hanna..." She whispered softly, tears trailing across her hood._

_Of course... Her name was Hanna. Mark silently got up, careful not to disturb Julia and headed into the kitchen. Duel purpose. So he could talk to Hanna without waking Julia, then make a phone call to help her... Then take a shot of something that would dull his senses. Vodka laced fuel was the only thing he had found to cause the voices to shut up..._

_Hanna appeared a bit lost... Then followed. "What's happening to me?" She whispered, as she silently wandered aimlessly around the house._

"_You have unfinished business I would imagine... Or a need for vengeance. Have you seen anyone yet on that side?"_

_Hanna whimpered softly, a quick shake of her grill given, then paused. "Yes... He asked me to come with him. I told him no... Not yet. I felt a light..."_

_Mark nodded quietly. That made sense. Spirits of the other side where often drawn to mediums... Like a bright light. They often described him as feeling a light. Especially when there was something that needed to be said yet. If they needed to talk to him... They felt his presence and came to it._

"_What happened Hanna?" He questioned softly, dealing with her as he would any victim that came in through the department. He found early on that it helped with the shock on both parties if he dealt with this as if she where a living and breathing person that had come into the department to report an assault._

_It helped her, because it eased her into the thought that it was no big deal. That he saw ghosts in his home every day and that she shouldn't be afraid just because she was now dead. Everything would be alright... It helped him, frankly because even after all these years... Talking to ghosts freaked him out. If he put into his mind that she wasn't dead and that this was a case of one living and breathing woman who needed help... Who had been assaulted... He could look past the fact that he happened to be talking to a ghost and avoid that moment of panic until after she had left. Until she didn't need him to be strong and listen anymore._

"_I can't remember to much anymore..." She started off, her voice a soft whisper. "I was gardening... That was two weeks ago I think... My neighbor came up to me and asked me to come with him and help him with something... He's always been such a good neighbor. When we go on vacation he waters our plants... I've even left my kids with him in an emergency before..." She gave off a choked sob and Mark, silently let her collect herself before she went on._

"_I'm sorry... Well I'm not sure what happened then... I suppose he must have hit me... I woke up later in a warehouse..."_

_She couldn't go on from there. She let out a choked sob once more, leaving Mark to quietly comfort her._

"_Hanna... Where did he take you? Do you know?"_

"_I was in a warehouse... On the other side of town I think, because we where close to the dessert. We crossed a bridge and a river... He buried me in the dessert."_

"_Do you think you could get there again?"_

_Hanna whimpered and gave a quick shake of her grill. After a moment she went on again. Her voice soft as death. "He had someone else... When he started getting tired of me... He picked up someone else... But someone heard me at the warehouse... I was almost found... So he had to take her to his basement. She's there..."_

_Mark gave a slight start and nodded. That... Changed everything. They could solve this. Wrap it up..._

"_I never knew..." She whispered quietly _

"_It'll be alright miss. Don't you worry." Mark offered in soothing tones and silently stood up. "Which neighbor?" He questioned as he picked up the phone._

"_The right side of my house..."_

_He nodded as he dialed a number, the familiar voice of the investigator answering. "Hey, Ryan I need you to do something for me..." He offered, silently looking back to Hanna. She was gone..._

"_I need you to go to that Hanna girl's place. The neighbor on the right side of her house... Someone needs to check out her basement..."_

"_Any reasons why I'm checking out a basement?" He questioned, sounding more than a little puzzled._

"_Call it a hunch... Make something up on the records..."_

_Ryan gave a soft grunt, one of the very few who knew about Mark's little talent. "Alright bud, but you owe me. The Sheriff is already looking at this department funny."_

"_Thanks Ryan." Mark offered with a light chuckle, silently hanging up before Ryan could complain about anything else._

"_Well then." Julia's soft voice, caught him by surprise and caused him to jump. Hadn't expected that one._

"_Talking to strange people in the middle of the night... Late night phone calls... Should I be worried?" She teased, nuzzling against him with a soft chuckle._

"_Nah, to dead for me." He commented with a chuckle, silently offering a nuzzle and turning to poke around the kitchen a bit._

"_Dear, come back to bed." She requested, quietly silently attempting to drive him away from that shot of Vodka that would settle every one down for the night. Mark gave a heavy sigh, though after a moment complied, silently following her out of the kitchen. _

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sheriff are you alright?"

The Sheriff gave a slight start as Doc, nudged him from his memories and forced a slight smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just maybe a bit more tired than I thought." He offered, shrugging on his shocks.

Doc nodded a bit, a concerned look given then went back to listening to what the doctor was saying. They had all made their way in, one at a time to see Lightning as soon as the others made it back from the Hotel early that morning. They offered their thoughts and hopes for the best to turn out... But as expected Lightning hadn't stirred.

Now the doctor was going through the common procedures. He was going to have to take him back into surgery. He was also going through the worst case scenario. What needed to happen, and what might. He was preparing them for the worst.

After a while Stone had picked up drilling the doctor for questions, the massive truck seeming to be surprisingly use to asking questions when it concerned him waiting around for the report of well being of someone. Joe quietly hung back behind the group from Radiator Springs sorrowful whines given every now and again.

Ripper had decided to stay at the hotel after a fairly rough night with Dakoda. The little truck was apparently not having a good day... And it was taking everything Ripper had to keep him quiet and sedated.

After a few more questions, Stone finally let the doctor go. The car bid them a hasty fair well and retreated back to the safety of his office.

As soon as the doctor was out of sight, Doc turned on Sheriff, one eye narrowing at him. The Sheriff quickly ducked back, quick nod given. "I'm goin' I'm goin" He assured him, silently shifting into gear and hurrying out of the waiting room.

He pulled out into the early morning light, eyes narrowing a bit as he adjusted to the natural brightness of the sun in contrast to the bright, sterile white of the hospital itself. The storm from the night before had passed, leaving the world damp and muggy, the Florida heat almost oppressing. He silently attempted to shake off the damp air and shifted into gear, pulling on forward. One thing he had always liked about Texas and later finding himself in Nevada. The Dessert certainly didn't have days like these.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Doctor Horton I think the thermostat's out again."

Dr. Horton glanced up at the nurse in front of him and nodded a bit, slight sigh given. "As always. Get it checked out would you?"

She nodded, silently heading off to find maintenance, entirely oblivious as she drove right through thick mist forming as the veil between life and death was breached. Henry McQueen gave a startled jump back as she literally drove through him and kept right on going, to the nurse's station.

He sighed heavily, a quick shake of his grill given then hurried off down the hall. Seth would figure out what had happened somewhat quickly. He usually picked up on things like that and it didn't help that every single jump between the living world and death was recorded. Though he could always hope for another crash. He really had warned them not to put the entire hard drive on Windows...

He had a feeling with that upgrade a certain Bill Gates was in a heap of trouble when his number was up.

The temperature dropped several degrees, causing several nurses to go for their jackets or lab coats. Henry shrugged a bit and silently set off down the hall, attempting to get a feel for the living world again.

He made his way through the winding halls, slight frown crossing his grill. Had been a little to long since he had driven on Earth... After a few wrong turns he managed to find his way to intensive care, the pull he felt to his grandson easily followed. He found his body alright... Though no sign of Lightning himself. Another frown given and he set off in another direction, this time heading for the waiting room. He followed the winding halls, silently looking for a sign he could use...

"Great... Only a few minutes back in the land of the living and I'm already lost." Henry muttered to himself, as he paused at the nurse's station.

Though after a few moments he spotted an opportunity that presented itself a little to perfectly. A night shift nurse who's relief was running a little late, was parked at the desk, staring at it in that way that suggested she was fighting hard to stay awake.

He smiled to himself and came up behind her, waiting until she was just dozing off before whispering softly. "Excuse me ma'am can you tell me where the waiting room is?"

In her half asleep state she heard him and snatched awake, blinking the sleep from her eyes. "Down the hall and to the right." She offered without thinking, only after she was awake looking around to see who had spoken.

Henry smiled and set off, in that direction quickly moving down the hall. He pulled into the waiting room, slight roll of his eyes given at the sight of his son. Now he showed up? Figured.

He didn't even pause as he noted that Lightning wasn't there. He kept moving, frown crossing his grill as he reached out part of himself feeling for the tug of family.

It took a few tries but he finally tracked his somewhat elusive grandson down in the chapel. He smiled to himself and silently pulled up beside him, recognizing that far away look almost immediately. "A little over whelming isn't it?"

Lightning threw himself into gear so fast he almost fell over himself, drawing a chuckle from Henry. The stock car's wide eyed look gave way to the fact that his long dead grandfather obviously was the last person he had expected to see.

"Now, none of that. Come tell Grandpa what's got ya in such a tizzy."

Lightning gave a somewhat weary look... But it seemed that a friendly face was all he wanted to see. He quickly pulled back up beside his grandfather and nuzzled against him, a million questions and explanations suddenly firing his way...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Why did you leave?"

The question caught him off guard. Jeff glanced up to Joe with a soft sigh, that simple question catching the attention of everyone in the waiting room.

"I think I need some air." Mater commented, hurrying out of the waiting room, Sarge nodding his agreement and following suite. Fillmore only held out for a second longer before he followed.

"I had my reasons." He responded, meeting her gaze.

Luigi and Guido didn't even bother to give an excuse, the two simply taking that moment to retreat. Doc rolled his eyes, silently wondering if he should do the same. Though no... Stone already displayed the wish to put Jeff in the hospital instead of Lightning. If Joe and Jeff got into it there would be no one to keep the peace if Stone decided to get into it as well.

"Would dearly like to know what reasons where good enough to abandon your family." Joe countered, apparently not able to take the wondering anymore.

"Drop it Joe. It was a long time ago and if you think I wanted to abandon my kids your-"

"Oh ho! You're kids are they?" Joe questioned, that apparently all it took to entirely set her off. A mother after all could only take so much. "So their your kids? So tell me Dad, where were you?"

"Watching them because that truck of yours wouldn't let me close!" He snapped, getting to his tires.

"Oh, you could have come home if you really wanted to and you know it!"

Doc sighed heavily and got to his own tires. This argument had popped up out of the blue and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to be apart of it.

"Like hell I could!"

"Well fine! So where were you if you cared so much? Where were you when Jordan broke his back axil? Where were you when we had to rush Lightning to the Emergency room at three in the morning with a high fever? Exactly where were you through anything?"

"Joe..." Doc offered softly, silently stepping between the feuding family members. "Maybe, now isn't the time for this. Tempers are a bit to thin and we might say things that will be regretted later." He reasoned, Joe at least seeming to see the knowledge in this. Jeff bristled for a moment longer, seeming to want to continue though settled quickly enough.

They where still tense from the slowly defusing argument when the nurse came in, her smile desolving quickly.

"Um, is there a problem here?"

"No, ma'am not any more." Doc offered, his full attention shifting to her.

"Alright then... There's someone here to see Lightning. We're sending them to you." She offered, slowly backing out of the waiting room again. It was a surprisingly familiar face that side stepped around her to pull himself into the waiting room. Lightning...

Doc blinked, shock driving him back to where he had parked. What the...

"Hey Mom," The stock car offered, drawing a soft smile from Joe. "Hey, Jordan. How was your trip?"

Doc let out a long breath, attempting to shake off the cold feeling that had crept up on him. Jordan... Of course. Not Lightning. Now that he looked at him he could see the differences... Besides the stickers that is. The solid red stock car was obviously not Lightning. Possibly just wishful thinking.

Jordan shot Doc a puzzled gaze, then turned his attention to Jeff, a wide eyed look given. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could a ten year old bundle of energy rocketed herself through the doors and towards Stone with a happy "Daddy!"

A small white pickup truck that obviously resembled the steel gray, adult. "Sumara!" Stone offered happily, the massive truck nuzzling at his daughter.

That was about the time Doc officially decided to leave family to family and headed off to see where the others had gotten off to.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Henry McQueen sighed heavily as he idly wandered the halls with his grandson. After fifteen minutes of Lightning's pacing the old car had suggested they head down the halls. Lightning had agreed, still talking steadily about what had happened and what he was worried might happen if he didn't get his act together.

"Alright Lightning... first of all, Death is out to screw you over..."

"Yeah, Ebony already told me that."

"Which brings me to my next point. Don't trust Ebony. She's been offered a deal that she will be extremely hard pressed to turn down... By Seth."

"I thought she didn't like..."

"Oh she doesn't. But it's her soul that's at stake. Hell is a lot worse than you think it is. She would do anything to be free of it right about now." He offered with a shrug.

Lightning sighed and pressed on, thinking on that for a moment. "Alright... So don't trust Ebony. Don't like it, but got it. What else? And why is Seth after me so hard anywho?"

"Jeff."

Lightning paused in the middle of the hall, a flatly puzzled look given. "Alright, what's Dad got to do with it?"

Henry stopped in his tracks, turning in the hall. Nurses drove right through him though he didn't seem to notice. "Your Dad was in a car accident right before you where born. His number was up. It was time for him to go. But he managed to trick Seth out of taking him. Jumped back into his body and lived. Seth is still a little pissed off about it. To him, until Jeff himself crosses over, you're the next best thing. His superior is a little upset with him that he managed to let a perfectly good soul go on top of that so he's trying to keep his own fender out of the frier."

"So, I'm not even dead?" Lightning questioned, drawing a chuckle from Henry.

"This is one of your openings. I suppose you could say that you're going to have to make a choice. It's entirely up to you. Though Seth is trying to make you think otherwise."

Lightning gave a heavy sigh and closed his eyes for a moment, silently pulling off again. Henry guided him back to his room, the two settling down once more.

"Look Lightning, I'm not gonna sit here and tell ya that this isn't going to be hard. It is... But when all else fails... Remember Seth never could turn down a challenge. It's how your Dad got away. It's what you've got in your hand. Just you remember that." He offered, slight smile crossing his grill.

Lightning nodded a bit, a smile offered to his grandfather. "You know I missed you Gramps..."

Henry smiled, slight chuckle muttered in response. "Missed you to chief. And just want you to know... No matter what happens, I'm proud of ya."

Lightning chuckled, for the moment at least, somewhat at ease with his current situation. "Thanks Grandpa... I-"

Cold... That ice cold feeling was back. Both Henry and Lightning ducked down a bit as a the veil of the living and the dead, literally ripped in half with the force of the portal that was opened.

"Henry!" The booming voice that was Seth's shook the walls in a soft tremor even to the physical world, the power flickering and nurses glancing up at the lights with a puzzled expression.

Seth appeared in a cloud of hissing mist, a furious expression etched across his features.

"Go to hell Seth!" Henry snapped, stepping between Seth and his grandson, the old stock car not backing down for a moment.

"Already been there! Which is where you're going if you don't get your fender across the veil right now!"

"I don't wanna hear it Seth! You're taking out an old vengeance on this boy and you know it. You're superior would never stand for that!"

"You know what Henry? This may come as a surprise to you but I really don't care at this point." Seth hissed and turned his full wrath on Lightning. "Alright boy. I've been tolerant up to this point. I've been patient. I've even been understanding but enough is enough. You're dead. Accept that, live with it and be done with it!"

Lightning growled and pulled back, brief fear flickering across his features. But that wasn't nearly as powerful as the brief tug in the pit of his fuel tank.

Seth seemed to perk a bit, smile creeping across his grill. "Well what do you know... Feel that tug McQueen? Know what it is? You're dying..."

Lightning swallowed hard, the steady beep and alarms setting off around him, more than a little disturbing. Nurses began rushing in, as they attempted to shut off alarms, a code blue yelled out over the intercom system. He felt the physical pain as his systems began attempting to shut down, the nurses pushed in a crash cart, a doctor hurrying in right behind them and barking out orders.

Lightning had just crashed...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Dallas Texas 1955_

_Ringing... Something was ringing. Mark opened his eyes to glare at the phone that was daring to ring and wake up from his peaceful slumber. A glance to the alarm clock told him that it was nine... Was he late for work? No... It was his day off. So why was the phone ringing. Beside him Julia gave an annoyed groan and settled down, further onto her tires so she could possibly ignore it._

_Mark groaned softly and got up, going to the kitchen to pick up the phone, a yawn given before a rugged hello, was offered into the receive._

"_Hey Mark, guess what?" Ryan's voice was on the other end, way to chipper for this early in the morning._

"_What?"_

"_We've got the guy. We have a girl in the basement who's now at the hospital... The neighbor in custody and the DA is working to tag a bunch of other murders onto him. Looks like he's our killer. Someone also found Hanna's body early this morning. A couple of hikers."_

_Mark blinked, for a moment no idea what he was even talking about. Though slowly it sank in, a smile crossing his grill. "Thanks Ryan."_

"_Hey no problem bud." He responded, hastily getting off the phone soon after. He still had things he needed to wrap up and he wasn't getting any work done, talking to Mark. He was after all in a hurry to get home..._

"_Every thing alright?" Julia's concerned voice caused Mark to spin around, a grin shot in her direction as he nuzzled her._

"_Case solved. Wanna go out for breakfast?"_

_Julia gave a slight blink and laughed, shrugging off her husband's odd behavior. So long as she got breakfast out of it, she was all for listening to him rattle on about police things._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ringing... Something was ringing. For a moment a bit of Deja-Vu swept through his mind before the Sheriff opened an eye and glanced at the clock. One in the afternoon. He had managed to get in four hours of sleep at least...

He groaned softly to himself and clicked the phone on, a growled out hello offered to whoever was on the other line.

A female voice floated across the air ways, so familiar it hurt...

"Mark?"

Sheriff snatched fully awake at the sound of his name being said. When he had first come to Radiator Springs he had introduced himself as Deputy Jason Carson. His middle name... No one bothered with his first name. When he was elected Sheriff his name had shifted from Deputy Carson to Sheriff. No one ever called him Mark anymore... In fact Doc was the only one who even knew his name was Mark... And that was only because he happened to have most of his medical charts.

"Who is this?" He demanded, but all that greeted him in answer was a dial tone. Whoever it was had hung up...

To Be Continued...


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Yes! We got one! The Cars characters belong to Pixar and Disney. Stone Knight is mine. No touchy! I also created Seth, Josephine McQueen, Henry McQueen, Jeff McQueen, Jordan McQueen, Dakoda Knight, Ripper Knight, Ebony Talon, Julia Carson and Sumara Knight. The NASCAR people are copyright of themselves, including references of Junior, Gordon, Jarrett, Burton, Martin, Wallace and a few others to name a few. I don't own them (Kinda wish I did) their real and very talented racers that I just love. Don't sue me! I have no money anyway!

Also if by some chance you like the character Stone, he has his very own story out there. Read more about our favorite grumpy old truck in "Let Freedom Ring" and the sequel "Already There". A work in progress that will eventually span a complete set of seven stories. Happy reading!

Notes: This chapter just didn't want to be written apparently... Mental block! But here it is! Next chapter should be coming soon. Thanks for all the reviews y'all! Keep them coming! Y'all are the only reason these chapters are being shot out so dang fast! That and I'm really having fun with this story. Rock on!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The sharp sting of an eclectic shock was the first thing he was aware of... A jolt that sent pain to every part of him and made him want to curl up somewhere and hide... With that things started fading to a heavy haze.

"Clear!"

Another jolt... More pain...

Things cleared almost instantly, for a moment his eyes shooting open. Chaos rained on around him, nurses hurrying to follow the orders the doctor was yelling out. He tried to speak but it was no use. There was a tube forcing its way into his mouth. The steady feeling of suffocating brought on a brief course of panic... He tried to move, only to find a horrible weak feeling through his body... He couldn't exactly move anyway though. He was strapped down to the lift...

The squeal of the alarms was the last thing he remembered... He was slowly fading back into the haze...

Something wasn't right... What once had been a hospital room had faded back to a dark haze. Like driving through a thick fog... He could hear the doctor and nurses still... But they sounded distant. As if he where listening to someone in another room...

"You're fading..."

The voice was soft, and caught him somewhat off guard.

"Who are you?" Lightning called out into the haze.

"Do you want to die?" The question floated across his senses, shocking him into what was happening.

"No!" He yelled, attempting to back up and away from the voice even though it came from all around him.

"Then fight." Female... He hadn't noticed that before but the voice was female. A voice he didn't recognize...

"Clear!"

Another jolt of pain...

"I've got something!"

Lightning pulled himself away from the sluggish feeling of the haze and just as quickly as it started... It stopped.

"Thought you where a goner that time boy."

Seth's voice caused him to jump, the stock spinning around to face the car. The room was quiet again...

"Losing time are ya?" Seth questioned, light chuckle given. "They cleared out of here an hour ago, ya know."

"That's not-"

"Possible?" Seth questioned, chipper smile given. "Must be. Look at the clock."

Henry only offered a sad smile, unable to argue that point. Time had lapsed... It wasn't exactly a good sign.

Lightning didn't even want to know. He gave a sharp shake of his grill and left the room in a well disguised rush.

Seth chuckled, Henry shooting the Mustang a harsh glare. "You are such an ass." He commented, following his grandson out.

"Language Henry!" Seth called after him, another chuckle given.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A horn blared out as the Sheriff blew through yet another traffic light, only the fact that he did in fact have his lights and sirens going keeping him from getting one hell of a ticket...

He wasn't entirely sure what had driven him into suddenly getting up and rushing out of the hotel... He wasn't even sure if he had been awake when the phone rang and now he was barreling through traffic...

He briefly hit the curb as he made a sharp turn into the hospital, cutting off a truck that brought a blare of an angry horn.

Years of high speed pursuits drove him to simply ignore that, as he pulled into the hospital. He only slowed once in the doors, hurrying down the hall to the waiting room.

He turned the corner, a sharp oof given as he abruptly ran into something solid, whatever he had run into likewise giving a sharp yelp of surprise in response and stumbling back. It took him a moment before the stars somewhat cleared away. Though when they did it was Stone that was in front of him, the massive truck looking relatively stunned, though recovering quickly.

"Sheriff?" He questioned, one eye ridge shooting upward in that way of questioning that he had. It gave the Sheriff the feeling of a superior demanding answers. "You're friend Doc has been trying to contact you. Couldn't get through at the hotel."

"I left some time ago..." Sheriff explained, a good shake given to clear his senses. "What's happening."

Stone sighed heavily, a somewhat sad look offered and nodded. "Lightning took a turn for the worse... He's on full life support now."

Sheriff flinched, a quick nod given. "Thanks Stone... Think I need to talk to Doc." He muttered only getting a quick nod from Stone as the massive truck headed out past him. "He's in the waiting room with the others. I need to go check on Rip and Kodes." The truck called back, silently making his way out.

Sheriff made his way into the waiting room, quietly bracing himself for the worst. That was about what hit him... Joe kept to herself in a corner, Stone having left Doc for the moment to comfort her. She had fallen silent for the most part, though it seemed Doc was ready for her to lose it any second. Flo quietly came up beside her, attempting to get Joe to take a cup of oil, though she didn't seem to interested in it. Jeff... Simply paced.

For the moment they seemed to be the only one's around. A bit surprising actually.

"Doc?" Sheriff's voice caused the group to snatch to attention, Flo offering him a tired smile before she silently parked on the other side of Joe.

Jeff regarded him for a long moment, then regained his pacing, driving back and forth along the length of the waiting room like a caged animal.

Doc silently got up, leaving a now whimpering Joe with Flo to cross the room to where Sheriff stood. He nudged his old friend, pushing past him and gesturing for the patrol car to follow. Without a word Sheriff turned and followed Doc out of the room.

"Lightning crashed." Doc offered as soon as they where out of ear shot. "From what I understand, they had a very difficult time getting him back. He's now on full life support..." Doc faded off, a slight shutter given and sighed. "Joe's not taking it well. Honestly no one is but she's been a bit hysterical."

"She has every right to be." Sheriff mused, a slow nod given. "She's his mother."

Doc nodded his agreement, for a brief moment staring at the floor.

"Doc when's the last time you slept?" Sheriff questioned suddenly bringing a rumble from Doc. "Never mind that Sheriff. I'm gonna go find Ramone and see where the others are." He muttered, silently making his way down the hall. Sheriff only nodded, slight roll of his eyes given. Figured.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Dallas Texas 1954_

"_Oh that's so sad..."_

"_Hm?" Mark silently glanced up from the report he was looking over. _

"_That Hudson Hornet... He's out for the rest of the season." Julia explained, leaning idly against a wall as she listened to the radio._

"_Eh, you'll never see him again then." Mark predicted, going back to his work. _

"_That's what's sad about it... You know Mark, if you gave racing a chance you would become a fan. It's interesting." Julia offered, a bright smile crossing her grill._

_Mark laughed and gave a light shake of his grill. "Julia my dear, I do enough racing at work. Don't need to watch it in my spare time."_

_Julia, rolled her eyes a soft laugh given. "High speed pursuit is different than racing dear. You would like it."_

_Mark only chuckled, and laid a photo on the table. It was rare he attempted this... But this particular case was a rare one. _

"_I thought you said that spirits came to you." Julia commented out of the blue, finely glancing over to what her husband was up to._

"_Normally they do. This kid might not even be dead, so that's what I want to find out." He explained, silently staring at the picture. He logged the kid to memory... Teenager. Got mixed in with the wrong crowed probably... According to his parents not the kind to get into much trouble. That was the reason for so much concern, the first few days. It wasn't like him to disappear. _

"_Can I watch?" Julia questioned, gaining a slow nod from Mark. "So long as you're quiet." He muttered, silently staring at the image. _

"_What are you doing?" She questioned softly, her voice a soft whisper. _

_Mark chuckled softly, smile crossing his grill. "You know, whispering is still talking. But I have to get an image of who this kid is before I go on."_

_Julia smiled and nodded a bit, falling silent at that. Mark took in a deep breath, once more focusing on the picture. His name was Jake. A young hot rod, just out of driving school. Never one to break a curfew, never one to get into trouble... Then in a single month he started staying out late... Then one night... He simply didn't come home at all._

_That had been a week ago. His parents where frantic... Not that Mark could blame them at all. He supposed if his kid where suddenly gone he would be a bit difficult to deal with himself. He silently pictured Jake's life... What kind of school he might have gone to... The friends that might have been his. What kind of life he had with his parents. _

_After a long moment he set the picture down flat in front of him and closed his eyes. Jake's image materialized itself in the darkness. Slowly things began to haze into focus. He was no longer staring at an image of Jake... He was Jake. He was driving. Very slowly down a country road. Cruising with friends. Four other vehicles of various makes and models. One... Obviously the leader of the group was a young Cadillac. Cherry red and seemed to have one hell of an attitude. He was challenging Jake... Calling him a coward if he didn't meet with their standards._

_A classic tale... The kid wanted to be a part of this group. He wanted to race... The images hazed a bit and suddenly he was racing... Whipping around curves at break neck speeds..._

_Just as suddenly he was flying... Jake missed a curve. He could hear the panicked calls of the others that had been with him... They hadn't expected that..._

_He could here the flat out fear when it was realized that young Jake was really hurt... They had decided to cover for each other. Cover what they had done..._

_They left Jake where he had fallen..._

_Jake's spirit force was weak. Very weak. He almost gained the impression he was still alive... Maybe not alive... But something was keeping him from coming entirely through._

"_Julia... Get me the phone." Mark muttered, silently gaining an image of the surrounding area. Something wasn't right..._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was over cast again... Clouds slowly rolled in like an ocean wave, slowly pouring over the sky. It hadn't quite opened up yet but the rain wasn't far off... Ebony had found her way to the roof hours ago, silently perched on one of the many vent systems. She simply didn't know what she was going to do... What Seth offered her was an opportunity she didn't know if she could pass up. In life she would have jumped at it. Why should she care what happened to someone else? It wasn't as if it was her life that was hanging in the balance. At the same time she would have wanted to throw something back in Seth's face... After all he was only doing this to clean up his record a bit...

The position of death changed every so many years. After so much time the one who was death was allowed to retire and the next car stepped up into place. Seth's reign was over fifty years in and so far he was the only car to ever lose a victim... Before him Death's records had been flawless. One of the reasons he wanted Lightning so badly... He wanted to make up for losing Jeff... After all a few of his superiors where not happy with him in the least... They could overlook Ebony getting away from him. She was after all still in Limbo and it wouldn't have exactly been the first time someone had attempted to ditch hell... But Jeff had made it back to his body and back into the living world.

Ebony sighed heavily, hopping down from her perch and began to pace. She rather liked Lightning... And he didn't deserve to die just because Seth had something to prove... She wasn't sure if she could go through with this...

She sighed heavily and silently wandered back into the hospital, deep frown forming across her grill. She couldn't go through with this... And yet at the same time she knew she didn't have much of a choice. It was this or hell... She only hoped Lightning would see things that way.

She silently made her way down the many twisting halls into the hospital. It was now or never she supposed. If it was difficult now, it wasn't as if it was going to get any better later. That bright unnatural light hit her as she moved into the building, never entirely sure how she had made it there... Just that she had.

She was in the waiting room before she truly realized where her tired where taking her. The scene was almost to much for her to take... "Someone's trying to tell me something... "Aren't they?" She questioned, speaking predominantly to herself.

"Do you really want to do this?" The voice didn't really startle her. It wasn't exactly uncommon for someone to start hearing voices when on the other side. She only gave a quick shake of her grill, heave sigh let out.

"You don't really have to." The voice prodded on, bringing a chuckle from Ebony herself.

"What is this my sense of right and wrong? Where were you when I was a teenager?" She questioned, slight shrug given as she wandered into the waiting room. Joe was crying again. Stone parked silently beside her... Most of lightning's friends and family had dwindled down again, most going back to the hotel to meet up and grab something for dinner... Stone was attempting to con Joe into doing the same.

Doc and Sheriff where still there. Doc she didn't think had ever left. She knew he had come in with Lightning on the ambulance. He hadn't left the hospital since. Sheriff might leave... However, knowing now what he possibly did he might not either.

"I can't do this..." She muttered softly to herself, backing out of the waiting room as if she didn't belong there herself.

"Then don't..." That voice again. Whoever it was, it was getting annoying.

Sheriff briefly looked up, deep frown crossing his grill. Ebony frowned and kept backing out of the waiting room, double doors only briefly shifting as she passed through them. After a few seconds the double doors pushed open, the Sheriff pushing his way into the hall. He frowned once more, silently gazing around the hall. He couldn't see her...

Ebony breathed a sigh of relief, slight smile crossing her grill. That, however was a mistake. Sheriff perked a bit at the soft sound, tipping briefly on his shocks to better hear whatever was out there.

"Lightning?" He called out softly, once again moving forward.

"No..." Ebony offered softly, silently hoping that she was just being paranoid.

However Sheriff gave a slight start, eyes narrowing a bit. "Who is this?"

"A friend..." Ebony offered quickly, moving forward a bit.

"Who's friend?" Sheriff shot back, obviously not the trusting one of the bunch. She was almost starting to wish the other medium was about. He may have been absolutely mad, but at least he probably would have taken her word at that simple face value.

"A friend of Lightning's..." She offered slowly and winced. "Tell him not to trust Ebony." She stated quickly, taking off down the hall way as quickly as she could. She had to get out of there. Maybe if she just didn't see Lightning... Maybe Seth couldn't really call that breaking their deal... She supposed it didn't really matter... With that simple warning... No matter who it was from... She couldn't go back...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sheriff stood in the hall way quite some time. He wasn't entirely sure what the hell that had been about... Ebony was the Viper... He was fairly certain on that one. This was all starting to sound like a bad late night Sci Fi movie.

After a moment he was startled as one of the double doors smacked him hard across the back fender. He yelped and jumped forward into the hall, and spun around to face whoever was coming out. Doc gave a slight jump from where he stood in the doorway and offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry Sheriff, didn't know you where standing in the doorway." He offered letting the door close behind him, one eye ridge shooting up. A well known expression. He wanted to know why Sheriff was acting so funny...

"Doc..." Sheriff offered slowly, slight wince given as to what he was about to do. "We need to talk."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Lightning!"

"He's not here Kody!" Ripper yelled right back, attempting to get through to the Ford Ranger. Kody had been steadily getting worse since the night before. Now he was unmanageable. Entirely...

"Damn it Kody... Come on, why don't you listen to some music." He offered, silently flipping the hotel room TV onto a country music video station. Kody, however; was having none of it. He gave a quick shake of his grill, once more beginning to pace back and forth across the room. He couldn't take it...

Ripper sighed heavily, settling into the process of ignoring the young truck and closed his eyes. Though after a moment the feeling of someone being uncomfortably close caused him to reopen them, a slight start given. Kody's grill was only inches from his, the truck's sightless gaze staring at him point blank.

"I would like to go back to the hospital please." Dakoda informed him, bringing a slow nod from Ripper... Sometimes he had to admit... That truck gave him the creeps. It had startled him so badly he didn't for a moment or two catch that Kody couldn't see him. "Alright Kody..." He offered slowly. "Get ready to go."

Dakoda gave a happy little grin and quickly drove off in a slight bounce across the hotel room. Ripper gave a slow shake of his grill, slight chuckle given as he shifted into gear himself. Kody instantly perked a bit, the truck spinning around and moving to Ripper's side as he had been taught to do. He used the larger truck as a guide, pressing his front prow against Ripper's flank, and settling in as Ripper took off, Dakoda keeping perfect pace beside him.

It was a little over an hour when Ripper and Kody pulled into the hospital parking lot. Kody gave a happy yip, seeming to know by scent he had been permitted to come back to the hospital. "Lightning!" Ripper, silently pulled up to the curb, opening his mouth to tell Kody to stay close... However Kody was off like a shot. The insane little truck took off as if he had been shot from a gun. Ripper yelped and attempted to follow but the truck's weaving lost him in the crowd of patients and nurses...

"Well that's not good..." Ripper muttered to himself, setting to the task of finding a crazy little truck...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Dallas Texas 1954_

_It was edging onto Midnight by the time Mark pulled onto the scene he had seen in his vision. Wasn't much... For a long time he was forced to stand there and wonder if he had seen it at all. It took several sweeps back and forth before he spotted it. The guard rail was bent... Not much... Just enough to be noticeably deformed. Could have happened at any time._

_Mark silently moved closer, peering down into the crevice the hills formed... Somewhere down there he could hear a creek going through. He gave a hard swallow and silently cast a gaze down the dusty old road he was on. If he got stuck down there... Having to call for someone to pull him out wouldn't exactly be pleasant. But he had to know._

_He took a deep breath and hopped the guard rail, slight flinch given as he fell the first few feet. He hit the first slope hard, sliding down the rest of the way until he came to rest against a tree. Well... He supposed it could have been worse. Was still probably going to have to call for backup to drag his fender back out of there though..._

_He briefly shook on his shocks, like a dog trying to shake water, sending up a light cloud of dust into the air. Slight choked out cough given and he was ready to go. He let his headlights light his way as he picked his way through the underbrush, the patrol car not in the least able to tear up the surrounding area, though he could somewhat struggle through the underbrush._

_A lot worse things he could be doing on a Saturday night than getting stuck in the mud he supposed... Of course there where better things to, but damn it he was thinking positively!_

_He was still moving when he suddenly hit a splash, and with a yelp he was rim deep in ice cold water. He gave a slight shiver, and pulled himself out of the creek. A bit of tire spinning for traction in the slick mud and he was moving again._

_It was a good half hour of searching before he found him... The kid hadn't known what hit him. Still upside down in the underbrush, entirely totaled... It hadn't been what Mark had particularly wanted to find..._

"_Expecting something different?" Mark spun around so quickly at the voice he almost hit the ground again. Some young Hot Rod stood somewhat above him on the embankment. Jet black... He didn't recognize the model oddly enough. One of those dang concept cars everyone was talking about maybe..._

"_So..." The vehicle almost chirped, hopping down from his perch and sauntering around Mark, seeming to be sizing him up. "You're the medium... Not much to look at are ya?"_

_Mark blinked and offered an honestly puzzled look. "How did you..."_

"_Oh stuff it. Deputy Mark Carson eh? You've been giving me all seven levels of hell you know that boy?"_

_Mark gave a soft growl, pulling himself up a bit taller on his shocks. "Now you wait just a dang minute, I ain't about to be-"_

"_Oh you're not are you? Do you know who you're speaking to?" The vehicle demanded, eyes narrowing at the young patrol car._

"_Not a clue... But somehow I have a feeling you're going to tell me."_

_The car gave a somewhat, maniacal laugh and set back on his tires. "You of all people should know exactly who I am. I choose who stays and who goes. I guide the innocent and the wicked. I bring those before a judge... I-"_

"_Sounds like you think you're a super cop and what you're really doing is putting a damper on justice boy." Mark cut in, slight smirk given._

"_Oh for the love of Saint Pete... I'm Death you idiot!" The car yelled, eyes narrowing at the patrol car._

_Mark stepped back for a moment, one eye ridge raised. "Sounds to me like you're flippin' nuts..."_

_The sports car rolled his eyes and sighed. "Mediums today... No respect for powers beyond their control..." He mused and gave a soft growl. "Fine. Believe what you want. But you get in my way again and there will be hell to pay, understand that hot shot?" He questioned, one tire hitting the ground in quick pattern. To Mark's shock a massive tunnel opened in thin air, time itself tearing in two to allow Death to pass. With that... the car was gone..._

_Mark shook his grill slowly, silently pulling himself together. As unsettling as that was... He had a job to do... He swallowed hard and silently radioed in the discovery of Jake's body..._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright..." Doc was watching Sheriff as if he just might bite him... The two had parked in what the hospital referred to as the court yard. Mostly a smoker's court for anyone who cared to use it, though some more permanent patients simply came to the quiet area as the only real place that was outside they could go to.

"Doc please don't look at me like that..." Sheriff muttered softly, slow shrug given.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Sheriff shrugged again, soft sigh muttered. "Honestly Doc... Would you have believed me?"

Doc gave a blink and nodded. "Of cour-" He stopped himself, for a moment thinking on that one. Would he have? Now he would... He knew Sheriff. He knew the car wouldn't simply make up something of that magnitude... But before? Back when they had first met? He probably would have labeled him as a loon.

"Besides Doc... I've been labeled as a freak a good bit of my life because of this little... 'Gift'... After what happened in Dallas I suppose I just didn't want it any more."

Doc nodded slowly, deep frown crossing his grill. He knew a bit of that... He imagined now, only what Sheriff had wanted him to know. He knew the Sheriff had been married... Knew what happened with that and why he had felt he had to come to Radiator Springs... Beyond that he had never pried.

"So what do we do?" Doc questioned, drawing a brief shrug from Sheriff.

"I honestly don't know... If this... Death... Is the same one I know, that kid's in a heap of trouble... Death is to cocky for his own good..."

Doc nodded slowly, heavy sigh given. "Then we need to-"

"Lightning?" They where both cut off as the familiar little Ford Ranger poked his nose into the court yard, sniffing briefly for a failure scent. He caught it, slight smile crossing his grill as he recognized the scent of Doc and happily drove towards them, setting right down.

"Hello there Kody." Doc offered, puzzled tilt of his frame given. "Didn't Ripper take you back to the hotel?"

"Ripper's here. Not fast enough." Kody reasoned, slight smile given.

"Well then I'm certain he'll be looking for you, let's go-" Doc cut himself off as he figured out Kody wasn't listening. He had perked up a bit, driving until he was parked only inches from Sheriff's grill. "You and I are the same..." He mused, slight tilt of his frame given. "You see them?"

Sheriff shuttered quietly and sighed. "No, not any more... I hear them."

"See them in time. You have a haze... A grief haze... So sad..." Kody offered, a whine given as if in physical pain at the thought.

Sheriff gave a slight blink, even that one a bit new on him. He had a grief haze?

"You've lost someone." Kody went on, tilting a bit on his frame. "You think it would be nice to go to. You don't like life anymore..." He mused, gaining a slight flinch from Sheriff.

Doc's eyes widened a bit, for a moment taking that in. "We'll discuss this later Sheriff." He commented and nudged Kody a bit. "Come on Dakoda. Time to find Stone."

Kody gave a happy chirp, seeming to be ready to go find Stone, a happy hop to his driving.

"Hi Lightning." He called out abruptly, gaining a puzzled look from Doc. Though still the older car urged him on, Kody seeming happy to follow now. He pressed his fender to Doc's flank and followed easily enough, the two leaving Sheriff alone in the court yard.

Sheriff gave a soft grunt and settled back for a moment, folding all four tires up under him so low that his under carriage rest gently against the ground. "Well this is a fine mess..."

"Don't start taking to yourself now Sheriff. One of us has to keep sane."

Sheriff didn't jump as he probably should have. He only smiled at the sound of Lightning's voice, soft chuckle given. "Normally, I'd have something to say about that... But it's good to hear your voice Lightning. Ya had be worried."

"Had you worried? I've been walking on glass." He muttered, the stock car silently settling down beside Sheriff on the ground, tires likewise folding up under him. On Lightning's other side Henry settled himself, though the older stock car for the time remained silent.

"You got somebody else with ya?" Sheriff questioned, slight frown crossing his grill. He was picking up more than one person... He was sure of it.

"Yeah..." Lightning offered, smile crossing his grill. "My grandfather... Long story."

"Evenin'" The southern draw possibly should have come as a shock to Sheriff but he only nodded. Somehow he found it a bit strange that he was sitting here talking to Lightning and what he assumed was his dead grandfather as if it where nothing.

Maybe Doc was right... Maybe he did need more sleep. Though that did remind him of something...

"Don't trust Ebony." He stated out of the blue, slight tilt of his frame given.

"You know you're the second person to tell me that." Lightning mused, slight sigh given.

"Well, I got it from a passing spirit so don't know how much fact it holds. But be careful hot rod."

"Gotcha..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was edging onto four in the morning when lights touched the front entrance of the hospital, headlights abruptly turning off as a little blue Porsche quietly pulled in. Sally offered a quiet smile to the Cadillac behind the front desk, the tired old car, only nodding in response.

"I'm sorry to bother you miss... Can you tell me where the people with Lightning McQueen are located?" She questioned, drawing a slow nod from the Cadillac. "Yes dear. Third floor, in the waiting room outside the CCU hall.

Sally gave a slow nod and hurried off in that direction, silently looking for signs to guide her. She made her way up to CCU, pushing her way into the waiting room. She stopped short, not entirely sure she was in the right place. A group of people she didn't know glanced up, puzzled expressions offered as to why she was there. But after a moment she caught a single familiar face... Doc was parked beside a small Ford Ranger, silently listening to a much larger black truck prattle on about something.

When he caught sight of her he smiled, gesturing her quickly over. "You made amazing time..." He mused, drawing a brief smile from Sally.

"What can I say? I'm good. How is he Doc?"

"Comatose I'm afraid... He's on full life support." He offered with a heavy sigh, briefly closing his eyes.

Sally sighed heavily and nodded. "Can I see him?"

"Probably not until morning. Why don't you go back to the hotel and-"

"No" She stated, abruptly cutting Doc off, an apologetic smile given. "I want to stay." She offered, drawing a nod from Doc.

Sally gave a curious gaze to those gathered, only Joe offering to speak for the group, a brief round of introductions made. An oddity among this maybe. To her... Lightning had never mentioned family...

"So you're his mother?" Sally questioned, drawing a nod from Joe.

"That I am. Guilty as accused I'm afraid. His brother Jordan took Stone's daughter back to the hotel for the night. They'll be back in the morning though." She offered, slight shrug given. Seemed this family tended to simply accept and move on. Now that they knew who she was, they didn't seem to bother to find out much more.

The group fell to a deathly silence, all seeming to be waiting for the worst... Though after an hour or so it was Jeff who broke the silence, the stock car abruptly getting to his tires.

"And where do you think you're going?" Stone questioned, slight tilt of his frame given.

"Where do ya think?" Jeff questioned, though didn't give much more information than that as he disappeared from the waiting room.

"Strange man..." Sally whispered softly to Doc, only gaining a nod.

"You should see him on his bad days." Ripper muttered, gaining a slight glare from Joe. He only smiled innocently at her and shut up once more. It had been a very long night...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sheriff gave a slight grunt as he opened an eye, glancing around the court yard. It took him several minutes to figure out that he was still at the hospital. Even longer to figure out he had fallen asleep and that he was now alone in the court yard.

Well that was smart... He sighed and silently got up, pulling his tires up under him with a wince. Well that hurt... He wasn't as young as he use to be and it had been a long time since he had slept in a garden... Every joint he had screamed its complaint as he stretched.

"Getting old there Sheriff ol' boy..." He muttered, closing his eyes for a moment. Maybe Lightning was right. He did tend to talk to himself a great deal these days.

He sighed and closed his eyes, a good shake given. He almost lost his balance for a moment his body, not entirely working along with his mind, though somehow he managed to stay on all four tires.

"I'm getting to old for this stuff..." He muttered, eyes briefly closing again.

"Seems that way..." Sheriff jumped a bit at the sound of the voice behind him, deep frown crossing his grill. He gave a hard swallow, knowing before he even turned who it was he was talking to.

"Hello Death..."

To Be Continued...


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Yes! We got one! The Cars characters belong to Pixar and Disney. Stone Knight is mine. No touchy! I also created Seth, Josephine McQueen, Henry McQueen, Jeff McQueen, Jordan McQueen, Dakoda Knight, Ripper Knight, Ebony Talon, Julia Carson and Sumara Knight. The NASCAR people are copyright of themselves, including references of Junior, Gordon, Jarrett, Burton, Martin, Wallace and a few others to name a few. I don't own them (Kinda wish I did) their real and very talented racers that I just love. Don't sue me! I have no money anyway!

Also if by some chance you like the character Stone, he has his very own story out there. Read more about our favorite grumpy old truck in "Let Freedom Ring" and the sequel "Already There". A work in progress that will eventually span a complete set of seven stories. Happy reading!

Notes: I would like to warn people now... There is a little bad humor in this one... However have a good sense of humor and you'll be fine! To answer a question, you'll find out soon enough! All questions should be answered in this chapter. Also this was another hard one to get out. Amazingly quick though. I got bored at work after all... Thanks for the reviews y'all! So happy you're liking the story! Rock on!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was a haze again... He was losing time... Badly to...

He wasn't to entirely sure what day it even was...

"You're running out of time."

That voice flickered in and out of his reality like a fog. He attempted to focus, but it wasn't happening...

"Yeah... I noticed. So what do I do?"

"Live." The voice stated as If that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"How?" Lightning pushed on, drawing a chuckle from the disembodied voice.

"By living." It stated, speaking in riddles and bad puns as if the voice thought them to be amuseing.

"You're no help." Lightning accused, eyes narrowing through the haze.

"I can't tell you what to do with your life. I can only offer guidance. I cannot become involved."

"Well then guide me already. The bad puns and riddles aren't helping."

A soft, airy chuckle faded through the empty space, startling Lightning.

"Trust your friends. Sheriff will help you." The voice offered, the haze that he had been in, fading back once more to the much to bright light of the ICU ward. He hadn't been there a moment ago had he? No... He was sure of that. He was losing time badly now.

"Was starting to get worried." Henry's voice startled Lightning a bit, the young stock car turning to face his grandfather.

"Still losing time?" At Lightning's nod, Henry heaved a soft sigh and nudged his grandson into motion. "Let's get out of here. No sense in standing around a reminder." He muttered, silently guiding Lightning around the dozens of beeping machines that where working to keep Lightning's body alive.

The two made their way down to the chapel in silence, ICU starting to become a little to depressing for either of them to deal with. Not that the chapel was much better... Not far from where they where parked, a small pick up truck was preying for the safety of a loved one somewhere in the hospital.

"I keep hearing a voice..." Lightning finally muttered, catching Henry's attention.

"You recognize it?"

Lightning shook his head, soft sigh given. "No... There anyone else around I should know about?"

Henry gave a quick shake of his grill to that. "No... Technically I'm going to be in a bit of trouble when the people upstairs figure out what I'm doing. The after life isn't suppose to get involved. This however is a special situation. I don't know any other family that's down here and if you don't recognize the voice it's a bit odd that they would take the risk... Normally no one does if they don't personally know the person and very closely."

"Alright... So who is this? An angel or something?"

Henry frowned and gave another quick shake of his grill. "Hell no. Angels never get involved. Well... No I take that back. By all technicalities Seth is an angel. Just is a very special one who remains indifferent and works for both sides of the fence, gathering the dead. Guardian angels also get involved... Though very rarely and it's more whispered suggestions. Which I suppose could possibly fit here..."

"She said she couldn't get involved..."

"Sounds like an angel alright... They have a bad habit of telling you, that yes you're doing something stupid but refuse to tell you how to fix it. It's that damn free will rule of theirs."

Lightning only sighed, a brief nod given. Great...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Dallas Texas 1956_

_Mark gave a soft groan as he silently drove on through the pounding rain. The storm had blown in fast and hard the way that Texas storms so often did. He didn't believe this state had ever heard of a light summer rain... It went from dessert heat to bounding rain then back again. Those storms where few and far between making July in Dallas almost unbearable._

_Unfortunately the very much needed summer rain also meant something else entirely. The rain hitting the asphalt made an almost slick as ice combination that people didn't seem to know how to deal with. Already he had seen the aftermath of six wrecks. None of them good..._

_It was days like these he almost wished he had chosen another profession. For what he was... It didn't seem worth it._

_He had just left a wreck that had left one critically injured and two dead in a sever pile up. He had also seen an out of control eighteen wheeler that morning that completely took out six cars waiting at a stop light..._

_Such a same... It wasn't really the truck's fault. He had hit his breaks at the right time, only to find that the slick road wouldn't allow for something his size to stop. Though for all the truck was concerned his life might as well be over. The gentle giants that where rigs where so sensitive when something like this happened... Deputy Carson felt for them in cases like those._

"_12 come back"_

_Mark sighed heavily as he clicked his radio over, listening out for the dispatcher. "12, go ahead"_

"_We've got an accident out near Buckhead, church. Already have a unit in on it but it doesn't look good. Can you meet up with 14 out there?"_

"_Yeah, I'm on it. Though if you don't mind, contact home 10-20 and report me being late. 12 out."_

"_10-4"_

_He immediately changed direction, heading out to Buckhead. This had been one of many tonight. He was beginning to think he was never going to make it home tonight. He had started for home five times and each time an emergency call had popped up._

_Buckhead was a small church just outside of the city, but still close enough where it saw a good bit of traffic. Tonight was no different. Deputy Taylor Lawson was just pulling up on the scene as Mark pulled up, the other police car, quickly working to divert traffic. Paramedics milled around, checking on things... One unharmed and the other... Dead at the scene. This was indeed a bad one... The first deputy on the scene was already there. A massive rig sat parked in the ditch, shaking quietly... Mark instantly felt for the poor truck... On a night like this... An accident was all it was, but possibly no one could tell him that._

_In the opposite ditch a tarp had been thrown over the true victim. The motionless form suggested that nothing could help this vehicle. He sighed heavily, heading for the grieving truck and offered a comforting smile. "Hey there" He offered softly, though all that was given from the truck was a soft whine. "Can you tell me what happened son?"_

"_I slid... Was my fault..." The truck muttered softly. Mark offered a reassuring pat with one tire. "It's going to be alright son... My partner here will help you. Let me go see what's up alright?"_

_The truck forced a smile and nodded a bit. That he could do..._

_Mark wandered back towards the other car, where Taylor was checking for vitals, though it was much to late. The paramedics had already been there and declared the poor car dead. Mark had come almost to the edge of the road when Taylor's eyes widened and he pulled back from the dead car, quickly spinning to cut his long time friend off._

"_Mark... Come with me." He stated simply attempting to push him back and away from the scene._

"_Taylor, knock it off. We've got a job to do." Mark scolded pushing past the police car and froze, noting what Taylor had._

_Taylor had left the tarp up, just enough so that he could see the edge of a mangled fender... A deep blue Mercury... The unique design of angel's wings curving delicately across her fender and door panels..._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What do you want?" Sheriff demanded, finally turning to face the Mustang. Seth smiled a bit, light shrug given.

"A car can't visit an old friend without it becoming a national case?"

"I wouldn't call us friends." Sheriff snapped, turning to leave the court yard. However Seth was a step ahead of him. As he turned again he found himself once more facing the black Mustang.

"Now Sheriff... That's no way to behave." He scolded, as if talking to a child.

"Boy, I would highly suggest-"

He was abruptly cut off by Seth's laugh. The Mustang grinned and pulled back a step. "Suggest what Deputy? Oh! I'm so sorry, my humble apologies... It's Sheriff now isn't it? Sheriff Carson?"

"Just Sheriff." Sheriff hissed at him, attempting to move around him.

"Ah, yes. Going by a title. You know I use to do that. Very impersonal. Made people nervous. Of course, my title is Death, so you know where that one leads... I was saying to Julia just the other day that-"

Seth was cut off as he was forced to jump back. Sheriff abruptly struck out at him, charging briefly and sending Seth ducking for cover.

"Oh, ho ho! My we have a temper..." Seth offered, slight smile crossing his grill. "So it seems it's all about who gets the girl is it?"

"Go to hell." Sheriff snapped, low growl shot in Seth's direction.

"Already been there actually. Not exactly my top vacation spot." Seth mused, a light shrug given.

Sheriff, let out a rumbling growl and pushed past Seth, once more attempting to leave. Unfortunately he found the double doors sealed shut. "Alright... There's got to be a point to this..."

"There is." Seth offered, drawing serious once more. "You are driving on very thin ice Sheriff. Let me make one thing perfectly clear that if you get in my way again... The after life will be the least of your worries." He stated simply, voice lowering to a near whisper, his eyes going narrow. "I'm not playing games with you anymore. I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt I really did. Figured, oh just another Deputy give him some lee way. Not this time Sheriff. Get in my way and see what happens..." He warned, his patients wearing down to about nothing.

"Don't you threaten me boy..." Sheriff growled out, gaze narrowing at Seth. Their little stare off was abruptly cut off when one of the double doors snatched open. They both jumped, turning to face the doors, at least one of the two not having to worry about being seen.

It was Jeff, that stood in the doorway. He jumped a bit, surprised to see anyone at all out in the court yard, but he seemed honestly afraid to spot Seth.

Seth only grinned at him, light chuckle offered to the two. "Life for a life McQueen." He offered, slight smirk given. As quickly as he had come, he was gone again, leaving way only the icy cold feeling of death...

Sheriff turned a curious gaze to Jeff, the stock car staring flatly at the ground.

"Medium?" He questioned, gaining a quick shake of Jeff's grill.

"No... Just lucky." He muttered, still staring after the path that Seth had taken. "Let's just say that I know more about death than, mortals are suppose to..."

Sheriff nodded, slowly a puzzled gaze given to that but he didn't press it. When it came down to it, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We had a deal Talon."

"I never agreed to it." Ebony snapped, backing up a bit as Seth cornered her up on the roof. The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon, the last few stars fading back to nothing.

"Well that doesn't really matter now does it? The deal was that if you brought me Lightning you could go free. I don't see any Lightning... Therefore..."

"Wait!" Ebony pleaded, backing away from Seth.

Seth raised an eye ridge, for whatever reasons rather interested in what she had to say at this point. Ebony for once in her life, wasn't sure what to say... In life she had been for the most part a con artist... She had been able to finesse her way out of every problem she had ever been in... That didn't seem to help now though...

"Didn't think so." Seth commented, hitting the concrete beneath them hard with one tire.

"What would it take Seth?" Ebony, questioned as the shadows began pulling themselves upward. The sun was coming up... But the dim light was just dim enough that the shadows seemed to go on forever...

"I offered the only arrangement I intend to give Ebony. You blew it."

Ebony cringed, absolutely no where for her to escape to this time... He had her cornered...

"Now... We can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way. You know it doesn't make much different to me, but it just might to you." He reasoned, lifting a tire, the shadows seeming to contort inward.

"Hey McQueen!" Ebony suddenly yelled out, causing Seth to pause. He offered a puzzled look, briefly glancing behind him.

Ebony took that moment to bolt past him, tearing her way off the roof, leaving a somewhat stunned Seth behind.

"Boss?" One of the shadows hissed, drawing a glare from Seth. "Don't even say it." The Mustang snapped, unable to believe that Death had actually fallen for that... He stormed down the ramp leading up to the roof, silently peering through the darkness.

"Hell I've had enough of this. Shadows, go" He called, sending the shadow demons after Ebony.

Ebony raised once again through the winding hallways, dodging the living as if they where cursed. She hated going through them but at times she just didn't have a choice...

Her mad dash, led her to the waiting room once again, the doors flying open as they had before. With intense emotion disturbances tended to be caused... Things flying off shelves... Doors opening and closing... This was no different. She was afraid... Therefore the doors where thrown open before her.

The entire group looked up startled by the sudden bang of doors hitting the walls, hard enough to put a notch in the plaster where the handles hit.

"What the hell?" Sheriff questioned, his gaze locking on Ebony. It took Ebony a full minute to realize that Sheriff was looking directly at her, and not just the door.

Doc frowned a bit and shrugged, giving his friend a nudge. "Probably just the wind."

"Ghosts, spooks, and death oh my!" Dakoda set off in a sing song tone, pulling their attention to the insane little truck for the time.

Sheriff frowned, still watching Ebony, who was choosing instead to slowly back up towards the doors. She hadn't expected anyone to see her... She had thought the medium could only hear the dead... Not see them...

She gave a sharp yelp as an icy, finger like grip abruptly grabbed her. The doors swung open again as she was abruptly pulled through, the chill in the air dropping to freezing as she was pulled. She whimpered softly, Seth's form at the end of the hall simply grinning at her. "Well well well... How the mighty have fallen. My dear I must admit, I have waited for this day..."

"Go to hell Seth!" She yelled at him, still struggling against the icy grip of the shadows themselves.

Seth only laughed, though was abruptly cut off as something touched Ebony. She was startled, though quickly realized Sheriff had come out to investigate. It was his side pressed against her. More importantly it was life... The shadows let out a screech of pain, all of them falling back into the walls themselves. Seth's minions couldn't stand the feel of life... Seth himself could barely handle it... Just enough to be able to take a soul...

Seth growled and stormed forward, his shadows flying out of the way as they scattered across the ground, hissing and sliding like frightened rats...

"Mark, if I where you I would walk back in that waiting room right now..."

Sheriff only smiled at him, a tire firmly pressed against Ebony's side. "Make me." He challenged, slight smirk crossing his grill.

Seth raised an eye ridge, low growl given. "You... are pushing your luck Mark..." He warned softly, pulling a bit closer.

Sheriff only shrugged, seeming not entirely to concerned about that.

Seth let out a snarl of rage, backing up down the hall. "This isn't over Ebony." He called, silently pulling a 180 and tearing off down the hall, tires spinning for purchase.

"Temper Seth!" Sheriff called, slight shake of his grill given as he glanced down at the Viper still on the floor, all four tires tucked neatly beneath her where she had attempted to put her full weight back into her struggles.

"Thank you..." She offered slowly, gaining a slight shrug from Sheriff. "Don't mention it."

"He's gonna be pissed you know..." Ebony offered slowly, though that only gained her another shrug.

"He's already pissed off at me." He explained, slight stretch given as he moved away from her, the cold feeling of death starting to get to him a bit.

"Why... did you do that?" Ebony questioned, a puzzled look given.

Again, all she got was a shrug. "Because I could." Sheriff offered, setting off down the hall. Ebony frowned and quickly got to her tires, hurrying after him.

"So you're this Ebony everyone keeps warning every one else about?" He questioned, not bothering to look back at her.

"Well... Actually by all technicalities you got one of those warnings from me..." She offered, slight sigh given. "Seth offered me a deal to avoid the shadows and I kinda couldn't go through with it and well... You saw the results."

"Eh, making a deal with Death isn't exactly a smart move." Sheriff reasoned, silently heading out in the direction of the court yard. "Now there's something I want to know from you. Why can I see you now, when I couldn't before?"

"You could once." She pointed out, slight shrug given.

"Long time ago. I'm talking about now."

"I'm guessing Seth has something to do with it." She offered, slight shrug given.

Sheriff nodded a bit, heavy sigh given as he stepped out into the morning air. "Right... Makes perfect sense..."

"Well it does to me." Ebony offered, catching his sarcasm. "I mean, look at it this way. It's a skill... Well if you try to play the piano and learn first some symphony that only the most expert musician would even attempt, learning twinkle twinkle little star isn't going to be that big of a deal. Seth is the extreme, so seeing me is like nothing..."

Sheriff paused, seeming to think on that one for a moment. "You know... in some bazar way that actually makes sense..."

"Of course it does." Ebony offered, light shrug given. "Why wouldn't it?"

Sheriff chuckled a bit, dragging a brief smile from Ebony. "Thanks dude... Anyway Lightning is in the chapel with his grandfather I think. Can sense his life from a mile away... He's also losing time... So if you can't find him... Wait it out." She suggested, disappearing as suddenly as she had earlier burst into the waiting room. Sheriff frowned a bit and shrugged, silently heading for the chapel. Well that didn't sound good...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Asleep... He looked asleep...

That was possibly the first thing that came to mind. Sally sighed softly, her time not exactly long... It was early morning and the doctors had allowed them to come in one at a time and sit with Lightning for a bit. The machines disturbed Mater to much. He had gone in and come back out in a rush. It had taken both Doc and Flo to get him calmed down again. Joe had been much the same... Stone was as usual... seeming emotionless.

Doc had actually surprised her. She had expected him to show no emotion, as usual... But when he came out he had quickly excused himself and for a while disappeared. That to Sally was almost frightening... If Doc was afraid of losing Lightning... What did that mean for Lightning's chances at all?

When her turn came around she wasn't entirely sure she could face seeing him... She swallowed hard, attempting to convince herself he was just asleep and settled down beside him. "Hey stickers..." She offered quietly trailing across her hood... "Got yourself into trouble again didn't you?"

Of course her question went unanswered, the beeping of the machines the only sound...

"I just wanted you to know something..." She offered, tears welling in her eyes. "I'd miss you if you where gone..." She muttered, watching one of the many machines for a moment, wondering idly what the numbers meant...

"I miss you when you go off to races... Always have... I guess I stay behind because I didn't want to see you like this... Doc's brought you home banged up before..." She mused, a soft sigh given.

"You know I think this may be the only time I actually get you to really listen." She offered with a smile, a quick shake of her grill given. She was babbling now... She didn't know what to say...

"Miss?" She sighed softly as the nurse called to her, a slow nod given. The nurse smiled in sympathy and left her again, content that Sally knew her time was running out.

"I love you stickers." She whispered softly, nuzzling at his still side. "Wake up..." She muttered, and quietly backed off, leaving ICU as silently as she had come.

She couldn't bring herself to go back to the waiting room. It was to much. Doc would nod at her, and offer her a sympathetic look that she couldn't take... No one knew where Sheriff had disappeared to again... Mater would ask how Lightning was, then have to leave just as quickly as he didn't want to know the answer... And Joe... Would simply cry all that much harder.

She needed air... Badly to... She gave a good shake of her head and rushed for the front doors, pushing past a hospital security guard on her way out. She stopped by the curb, choking in gasps of fresh air, through choked sobs. She couldn't take this... She wasn't sure how long she spent on that curb... She was startled from her thoughts when an older truck tapped her side, offering a soft word of concern and asking if she was alright.

Sally could only offer a nod and got back to her tires, a deep breath taken in. She silently collected herself, gathering a face she used so often in trials and drove back into the hospital. When she walked back into the waiting room she was collected once more, a soft smile offered as she took a space beside Doc. She remained silent a few moments, quietly staring off into space and listening to Kody raddle on about something or other. It was Doc that startled her out of her thoughts. He offered a comforting nudge.

She swallowed hard, eyes closing for a moment. She had always liked Doc... He reminded her so much of her grandfather... She whimpered softly, tilting to the side so that her hood rest against his side, tears quietly trailing across her hood, hidden from view by Doc's bumper. This was a rarity... But she had to admit... She was scared...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Dallas Texas 1956_

_The storm rolled on... It was nearly one in the morning and still it rolled on... For hours it had been a fury of questions... Could have, should have would haves... They hadn't even taken her to the hospital. Simply called a coroner to come out..._

_Being an officer Mark knew damn well what that meant, but he couldn't quite bring himself to accept it. He simply didn't want to accept it... That was the problem. Didn't want to and couldn't bring himself to. He hadn't been separated from Julia for more than a day since the day they had married... Now he would never see her again... That thought was almost to much..._

_Though no... Mark swallowed hard, getting up from where he had collapsed on the floor of the kitchen. After an hour of being at the accident scene, one of his coworkers had more or less guided him home. Taylor had hung around for a while, though eventually he had been forced to go home... He hadn't been much help anyway. No one ever knew what to say in a case like this... And Mark was beyond able to be comforted..._

_That... didn't seem to matter now though. He was a medium... He could contact Julia... He could do something... Talk to her... He swallowed hard, quickly moving around the kitchen. He had never had to contact someone close to him before... He was use to not knowing anything about the victim... Only a name and basic police information... He knew everything about Julia... From her favorite fuel to her favorite song... He knew that she was afraid of spiders... And that she loved birds... So how was he suppose to contact her? Further more why hadn't she come to him yet?_

_He closed his eyes, letting his mind drift out... Reach out to whoever might be listening. Nothing... Not a soul... That alone was strange..._

_Though after a few minutes he did latch onto something... Something ice cold... He let out a sharp gasp and opened his eyes, gaze falling on the last person he wanted to see... Death..._

"_You have interfered for the last time..." Death hissed, an angry growl shot in his direction._

"_Bring her back..." Mark growled out, getting to his tires and halfway circling the strange car in his kitchen._

"_She's not yours anymore Mark. Let her go. You'll be better off for it." Death suggested, not in the least bit intimidated by Mark's advances._

"_You let her go..." Mark hissed, drawing a sigh from Seth._

"_Look... I know you'll hurting but you'll come to realize soon enough that death isn't a punishment... It's not a prison... She led a good life. She's been released from it." Seth reasoned, though that brought no comfort to a hurting police car._

"_I can't bring her back." Seth went on, a slight growl given as he attempted to avoid Mark._

"_Then let me talk to her!"_

_Seth growled and gave a quick shake of his grill. "Grief shock Mark. It's your own problem. You'll have to deal with that. I can't deal with it for you." He reasoned, and smirked._

"_Though on the upside, you're out of my treads." Mark snarled and charged at Seth, hitting the wall hard as Seth abruptly disappeared. His own somewhat cowardly escape._

_Mark gave a soft whimper, remaining where he had fallen, silently tucking his tires beneath him so that his frame rest on the kitchen floor. He let out a miserable sigh, eyes closing. The cold from the floor didn't bring any comfort but at least he felt it... It was something besides that horrible numb feeling. _

_Anything to make the pain go away... It was a good hour before he pulled himself back to his tires and shook himself off. The room seemed colder now... Without Julia wandering around, it was a dark and dank place he wanted nothing to do with. He swallowed hard, and silently got up heading for the cabinets. He poured himself a quart of oil, then added a strong shot of Vodka to it. Can in tow, he silently made his way to the living room, the bedroom not something he could handle at the moment. _

_He fell to silence, staring at the wall, oil laced with vodka at least for the moment driving back that pain to a more comfortable numb... Everyone in life has their low points... But at that moment, Mark's only wish was that, the truck would have hit him instead..._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Seth gave an aggravated growl as he silently paced back and forth through his office. This wasn't working out as well as he had hoped.

"Sir, word from on high. The powers want to know what's taking so long." The somewhat nasal feminine voice rang out over the intercom system, causing Seth to roll his eyes. Figured...

"Tell them to hold their horses. It's not like it's another apocalypse." Seth commented, heavy sigh muttered. He hadn't expected the patrol car to grow a pair...

"Alright sir. It's your engine. Just remember your retirement is coming up soon." Sandra replied, her voice abruptly cutting off. Seth rolled his eyes and picked up his pacing again. He supposed it could be worse. So far he had two very powerful mediums... One car that had escaped from the after life... One car that was still out smarting him... One car in the living world that should be dead... And a car in a coma that could go either way... And one car that he believed was dropping tips...

He sighed heavily and silently slid to the floor. Alright... So they should have had his engine on a stake long before this...

Of course on a regular basis he would have lived for the challenge but at the moment-

He cut himself off mid thought and stopped in the middle of the office. That was it... A challenge... It was so divinely simple...

He let a smile cross his grill, a chipper little whistle picking up. Things just might work out alright for him after all... He could kill two bird with one stone...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He found them just where Ebony said they would be. Lightning was parked beside another stock car, both keeping that soft haze that let him know that they where not a physical body. Ahead of them a small truck was praying...

He sighed softly, silently parking next to Lightning. "Hi Sheriff." Lightning offered, slight tilt of his frame given.

"I see you." Sheriff commented, drawing a slight blink from Lightning.

"Really? Well then what am I doing?" He questioned, sticking his tongue out at him.

"Very childish boy." He muttered, one eye ridge raising. Lightning instantly pulled his tongue back in his mouth, somewhat sheepish smile given. Henry only gave a shake of his grill, soft chuckle muttered.

They sat in silence for a time, the truck eventually getting up and heading to Labor and Delivery, apparently the source of his prayers and thoughts...

"So... This is what the male gender does with their time..."

Lightning rolled his eyes, Ebony's voice pulling a chuckle from him. "You know, I've noticed you perching yourself in some fairly odd places yourself." He mused, pulling a shrug from the black Viper.

"Eh, when you've been dead as long as I have, any place that isn't six feet under is a good perch." She mused, light smirk given.

Henry smirked a bit, opening his mouth to speak but he was abruptly cut off as the air seemed to solidify. A harsh chill touched the air, the tell tale signs that Death himself was about. Ebony gave a slight roll of her eyes, the Viper hopping up and pressing herself to Sheriff's side. She was a quick learner and she knew damn well Seth wouldn't try anything so long as someone alive was near them...

"Here comes trouble." Lightning muttered, drawing a nod from Sheriff and Henry. At this point... They where ready for this to be over. One way or another.

"I heard that." Seth frowned at the group, slight chuckle given. "And here I thought I would have to look for a few of you..."

His gaze leveled on Ebony, a smile crossing his grill. "Hello there my dear." He offered, Ebony's response a very rude gesture with one tire.

"And the one I especially wanted to speak to."

Ebony glared at him, bringing a shrug from Seth. "I have a proposition for you my dear."

"Right... Anything like the last one?" She shot back, drawing a smirk from Seth.

"Of course not... And if it makes you feel better, you can bring your hero there." He commented, gesturing to Sheriff.

"Bring me where?" Sheriff questioned, drawing a slight smirk from Seth.

Seth shrugged idly and came up close to Ebony. "I'm going to give you a chance Ebony. A chance to fight for your life I suppose... So how about it? A challenge of sorts. How about a race?"

Ebony offered a puzzled look, her gaze shooting over to the others. They could only shrug, not entirely sure what Seth was getting to.

"Street race..." Ebony muttered, quietly setting up what would be involved.

"Wouldn't think of anything else for a street racer my dear."

"I win you let me and Lightning go..."

"The stock car is free to live if you win... I'll also see what I can do for you..." He promised, that charming smile crossing his grill again.

Henry cleared his throat, slight shake of his grill given. "He's out to screw you over..." He warned, drawing a nod from Ebony. She already knew that...

"Alright... What's the catch?"

Seth grinned and shrugged on his shocks. "No catch my dear."

Ebony nodded slowly, silently glancing to the others. They could only shrug as she turned her attention back to Seth. "Alright... I accept that."

Seth grinned and set back a bit. "I did forget to mention though... I'll be setting the track." He commented, the room suddenly hazing out to a thick fog... To the living world, things would stay the same. Sheriff suddenly slumped forward, going into a deep sleep a sort of out of body experience.

They came to rest on a quiet country road. Night had just fallen, a heavy mist hanging in the humid summer air. A storm was rolling in, rain already starting to hit the pavement with a soft patter. Ebony let out an audible whimper, quietly pressing against Sheriff, who for the most part was simply in a mild state of shock...

"Wow..." Lightning muttered, slight blink given. "Now I remember why I never got into street racing..."

"I can't do this..." Ebony whimpered, a quick shake of her grill given.

"Sure you can girl... Looks a bit of a hazard but Seth said you where a street racer this shouldn't be-"

"No, you don't understand." Ebony whimpered, abruptly cutting Henry's pep talk off. "I know this place..."

Lightning gave a slight blink, turning on her. "You do?"

"I've raced here before..." Ebony offered, soft whine given. "Everything I've done in my life... I was a mercenary... A con artist... A street racer... Never did a good thing in my life. All the dangerous things... I'm sorry for all if it... But this was probebly the stupidest..." She muttered, staring at where the road disappeared around a curve...

"Anything but this..." She was shaking now... An absolute wreck at her place beside Sheriff.

"It can't be that bad. If you've been on it before then you know the track right?" Lightning reasoned, gaining a shake of Ebony's grill.

"You don't understand... This is dead man's curve... A mile up the road is where I died..."

To Be Continued...


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Yes! We got one! The Cars characters belong to Pixar and Disney. Stone Knight is mine. No touchy! I also created Seth, Josephine McQueen, Henry McQueen, Jeff McQueen, Jordan McQueen, Dakoda Knight, Ripper Knight, Ebony Talon, Julia Carson and Sumara Knight. The NASCAR people are copyright of themselves, including references of Junior, Gordon, Jarrett, Burton, Martin, Wallace and a few others to name a few. I don't own them (Kinda wish I did) their real and very talented racers that I just love. Don't sue me! I have no money anyway!

Also if by some chance you like the character Stone, he has his very own story out there. Read more about our favorite grumpy old truck in "Let Freedom Ring" and the sequel "Already There". A work in progress that will eventually span a complete set of seven stories. Happy reading!

Notes: This one's a little longer than the others. Mostly because it's the final. Yay! We get to find out what happens! Also note, to stay tuned for a possible sequel. Yay! We love um! Thanks to everyone who left reviews and kept on me to finish this! Love you guys! And without further hold up, Rock on!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So... Ebony... Ready for your little challenge?"

Seth's voice caused Ebony to jump a bit, hard frown shot in his direction. "You... Arrogant... Egotistical... Horrible little cockroach!" She growled at him, her little outburst only bringing a quiet smirk from Seth. "You had every intention of bringing me out to this place!"

"Well what do you know... The last time I was this close to victory I was pond scum... Seems I'm coming up in the organic food chain." He mused, slight smirk crossing his grill.

"Go to hell." Ebony shot back. "I'm not racing here. You know damn well how dangerous it is."

Seth only rolled his eyes in response to that. "Once again... Already been there. And if you won't race... We can always call this off and head home... You know home? Where we agreed you would be going? Backing out of a challenge is bad form after all. Now my dear if you will?" He offered her a somewhat confident smile and turned his attention to Sheriff. "Care to lay down the law Sheriff?" He questioned, drawing a soft growl from the old police car.

"Be glad to... No cheating from you." He stated flatly to Seth. Seth only raised an eye ridge, pulling a heavy sigh from Sheriff as he went on. "Keep it clean you two. No pushin' or nudgin'... This ain't a NASCAR race... Keep the road rage to a minimum." He put in, a slight sigh given.

Seth shrugged and silently moved to his mark. Ebony took a moment to glare at the black Mustang before silently rolling up to the starting line. "Lady and... Death... Start your engines." That gained an odd look from the both of them.

"Oh... Sorry." He muttered, backing up to park next to Lightning and Henry. He had forgotten for a moment he was dealing with Death and a long since dead Viper. Telling them to start their engines was a little redundant. The two glared at each other for a moment, silently waiting for their mark.

Sheriff gave the signal for them to go with a sharp screech from his siren. The screech of tires and the brewing of a storm was the only sound that would cut the air as the two rocketed forward into the night...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dr. Henson offered a quiet smile as he silently pulled into the waiting room, the entire group looking up at him hopefully as he parked. He hated meetings like these. In this case though it was necessary...

"Who's the next of kin?" He questioned, bringing a slow nod from Joe. "I'm his mother..." She offered, nervously shifting her weight from her right side to the left.

"Then you need to come with me." He offered, a light dip of his grill given. Joe nodded slowly, a light nudge given to Doc's side. "Come with me?" She questioned, pulling a nod from him. It made sense to her. Doc was Lightning's friend and from what she knew of him a doctor himself. He could explain the things to her she didn't quite understand.

From Doc's experience he knew this wasn't a good thing... He had spent most of his professional life in a small town. He had gone to Radiator Springs fairly soon after earning his medical degree... That had been his first real job, working for the town doctor as he was getting ready to retire. He had taken over the practice after Dr. Lawson's retirement... However he had interned at larger hospitals... Particularly a very large one in Las Vegas. Things where a bit more personal in smaller clinics... But that didn't mean he didn't know what Dr. Henson was up to.

They where about to be given bad news... Larger hospitals attempted to make it more personal by pulling the 'head' of the family or next of kin aside and explaining everything to them, then leaving it up to that vehicle to let the rest of the waiting family know.

The pair followed Dr. Henson down the hall, silently moving into another room on that same floor. It wasn't an office. Simply a quiet space. Something that was needed on the CCU wing.

Dr. Henson silently parked near a window overlooking the parking lot, Joe and Doc taking a place not far from him.

"What's all this about Doctor?" Doc questioned, one eye ridge raising a bit.

"Well... As you know Lightning has been in a coma for a few days now..."

They both nodded, that information obvious enough...

"He's been on full life support most of that time... I know this is a difficult time... But despite our efforts there has been absolutely no change in Lightning's progress. It might be time to look at other options..." He offered gently, a sad look given.

"What other options?" Joe, questioned, a puzzled glance shot in Doc's direction.

"They want to take him off of life support..." Doc muttered, drawing a sad nod from Dr. Henson.

"They what?" Joe demanded, glaring at the Doctor. "He's only twenty one and you want to let him die just like that?" She almost yelled, drawing a slight wince from Doc.

"Ma'am we won't do anything without your consent... I'm only saying that it's an option at this point. He's in what we call a lasting coma-"

"I don't care young man!" Joe snapped, putting herself into gear, engine roaring to life. "You save my boy, or it will be your engine." She yelled, throwing herself into reverse and rolling back out of the room.

The doctor blinked, an apologetic glance given to Doc, which gained only a shrug. "I'll talk to her. But we do not wish to pull him from life support." Doc stated, making it clear they where not ready to give up yet. He understood that the doctor had to think this way... But that didn't mean he was ready to. He quickly headed out into the hall, catching sight of Joe's rear fender turning around a corner before he took off after her. He managed to track her down in the court yard. The car was pacing back and forth, angry with the world in general.

"Joe, he didn't mean anything by that." Doc reasoned a slight sigh muttered. "He's a doctor. He has to tell you everything that he knows. He also has to explain all of the options because he can't do anything without the consent of the patient or the family and since Lightning isn't able to speak for himself we have to."

Joe paused for a moment, a slow nod given to that. "He's only twenty one..." She muttered.

"I know..." Doc offered, silently parking beside her. Well technically he hadn't known... He had thought Lightning was older than that for some reason... Still, he had known he was young.

"Is he going to be alright?" Joe questioned, leveling a steady gaze on Doc.

Doc couldn't answer that... He wanted to say he would, but when it all came down to it, he really couldn't.

Joe only offered a nod to that, silently heading off once more towards the waiting room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sally quickly glanced up as Joe returned to the waiting room, Doc a few seconds behind her. At Stone's curious gaze Joe only whimpered and silently pressed her bumper against his side. The massive truck sighed and offered a nuzzle of comfort in response.

Doc quietly took his place beside Sally again, silently settling the waiting room falling to a brief silence. "They want to take him off life support." Doc finally offered, answering the unspoken question. Mater whimpered, the aging truck silently tucking himself back behind Flo and Ramone...

"But... Their not going to right?" Sally whispered, drawing a nod from Joe.

"Not my boy they won't." She stated simply. Stone winced and offered another nudge, heavy sigh muttered.

"It hasn't been that much time..." Jordan muttered, drawing a surprised glance from all of them. From the time he had come there, he had possibly said a total of two words. For a while Sally had questioned his ability to speak, though it seemed he did break down and utter a few words to his family every now and again.

"Sometimes-" Whatever Stone had been about to say he abruptly cut off, seeming to remember Joe's presence. He fell silent, settling down on his shocks for the time.

"Someone needs to call Uncle Ripper." Jordan offered, a slight nod drawn from Stone. At a silent gesture Jordan got to his tires, moving out of the room to make the call. Ripper had once more managed to get Dakoda to leave the hospital, taking Sumara with him. Soon after Luigi and Guido had headed for the hotel, Fillmore eventually had headed out himself, and Sheriff...

Where was Sheriff? Sally frowned as she glanced around the room, for the first time noticing that the aging police car seemed to have left.

"Doc, did Sheriff go back to the hotel?" She questioned, drawing a slight frown from him. Doc glanced around the room and gave a slow shake of his grill. "If he did, he didn't say anything about it." He mused, a slight shrug given.

"Then where is he?"

"You know... I'm not really sure."

Sally nodded and silently got to her tires. "I'm gonna go look for him then..."

"Found him once in the chapel. Check there." Doc advised, a nod offered from Sally.

She idly wandered through the halls, deep in thought as she drove. She could almost laugh now about her and Lightning's first meeting. She had hated him... To her he was a royal pain in the fender those days... Had wished nothing more than him to finish his work and get out of her life.

However, now... She felt she had found a best friend in him. He was amazingly easy to talk to. That wasn't something she had thought would be accomplished in the beginnings of their relationship.

She took a moment to glance into the court yard, that the first place she came across. An old truck sat parked at the end of the garden, attempting to juggle an oxygen mask and a cigarette... Well that was an interesting combination. What was suppose to save him, and cancer on a stick. Sally sighed and shrugged, silently moving on down the hall.

It surprised her a little how close she had become to the stock car in such a short amount of time. People like him where the reason she had left California... Something about him she supposed... She gave a rugged sigh, the memory of what was happening causing tears to sting her eyes.

"Enough of this..." She muttered to herself, silently pulling into the chapel and glancing around. It was quiet... But for the lone form of the Sheriff, steady breathing suggesting he was asleep. She smiled and silently snuck up behind him, giving his side a light nudge as she sometimes did when she found him sleeping behind the billboard.

Despite his frequent naps, he was a surprisingly light sleeper. Normally when she nudged him he would jolt awake and whip around, ready to take on whoever was there. Now however... Nothing.

"Sheriff?" She questioned, a bit of worry creeping into her thoughts. She gave him a good nudge, hard enough that she almost moved his sleeping form. Still nothing...

"Sheriff!" She called, this time quite a bit louder. That... Was unlike him. She was now really worried as Sheriff didn't even twitch as she smacked his side hard with one tire. Nothing...

She frowned and quickly left the chapel to find Doc...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Dallas Texas 1956_

_The door was locked... Anyone else would have probebly turned away. Figured that who lived inside didn't want to be disturbed. Taylor sighed heavily, glancing around the well kept front yard, out to the street. A young truck was playing in the opposite yard, playfully nudging a ball around in the grass. So peaceful..._

_Taylor sighed heavily and turned back to his friends front door, grill pressed into the heavy wood. With a solid hit, the door popped open, breaking the lock. He moved into the darkness, eyes narrowing as he attempted to adjust. Mark hadn't shown up for work... No one expected him to really. Taylor had reported in the night before that he wouldn't. But the Sheriff attempted to call him, and offer his condolence... No one had answered. Taylor was elected to see about his friend..._

_He had been in Mark's house a hundred times before. He was always so amazed at how warm it always felt. Like walking into a home... Now... It seemed cold. Dark and a somehow un welcoming place. _

_He silently searched the living room... He had been there. He could tell that. But nothing now. He moved into the kitchen, a heavy sigh leaving him at the sight that greeted him. Destruction... Everything that could be thrown, had been. One unfortunate cabinet had been literally torn from the wall. A sizeable hole in the wall, suggested Mark had apparently decided the world in general was his enemy..._

"_Mark?" He called out, only silence greeting him. Mark gave a soft grunt where he was parked on the other side of the room, quietly staring out the window as if that would give him some form of answers._

"_Mark... Are you alright?" Taylor prodded, even though he knew that was possibly the stupidest question someone could possibly ask..._

"_There's some papers on the counter... I want you to take them back to the Sheriff..." He muttered softly, once more moving. He was going through a few papers... Putting things into a box._

"_Mark?" Taylor questioned again, glancing at the papers and frowning... His resignation sat on top..._

"_I'm leaving... There's nothing left for me here." Mark offered, bringing a flinch from Taylor._

"_Mark, slow down a moment. We need to discuss this..."_

_Mark glanced up at him and only smiled. "There's nothing to discuss... I'm already gone..."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The storm that had been brewing was at full blast now... Ebony squinted against the pounding rain as she flew around the turns of Dead Man's pass. At her right a cliff towered above her. At her left it dropped off a good hundred and fifty feet. This... was suicide. When she was alive she had thought herself to be immortal she supposed. She had been absolutely certain nothing could harm her. So certain she had taken some young punk up on a challenge in her off time...

Some Corvette who had been attempting to impress her. The storm had blown in, but still... She had been unafraid. Even when the roads became as slick as glass as they where now... The Corvette had hurried up beside her and attempted to call the race off when it started raining. But Ebony would have known of it. She had something to prove... She had driven faster and harder... It had been a bridge that claimed her life... A mud slide had taken out the center. She hadn't known that. She had seen it... But the slick roads refused for her to break and she had skidded off and down the cliffs. Now... Her life was hanging in the balance again.

Could she die again? She wasn't entirely sure. She supposed it was irony in a way. She was racing death itself... She had to win back her life maybe... By not dying in the first place.

The only sound cutting through the night sky was the rain... She had found it odd at first... How her engine no longer ran. Now it was simply accepted...

There was another difference... She had left the Corvette in the dust. She thought he may have even given up when the rain really started... Seth... Was right behind her. She was ahead... But not by much. She could feel his presence on her fender... The thought that if she braked hard, he would probably be sitting on her back fender brought a momentary amount of amusement. However, it didn't last long.

Seth shifted to the side and moved up beside her, edging up close enough that she thought for a moment he just might pass her.

Though it seemed he was actually having trouble keeping up. Seemed even Death had his speed limits. She wasn't sure if he did when she took this up... He gunned it for a moment, a high pitched whine coming from him as his tires squealed against the slick asphalt. He managed to pass her, coming in close to the cliffs at her left as he shot past her, driving hard into the curve. She quickly noticed something important in that little maneuver... Anyone who knew street racing would have attempted to overcome her on the right... Choosing to go with the bend of the road and to the inside. For all his fast talk, and his sporty form... Seth wasn't a racer.

She smiled to herself at that revelation and charged on. She shot towards the inside, hugging the wall as she made her way up the mountain. She managed to pass him again and leave him once more barely holding onto the pace at her flank.

The whine of their tires against the pavement was drown into the raging storm. Ebony's tires hit a deep puddle of water, briefly sending her swerving almost into Seth, though she managed to pull herself out of it, instead sending a wave of water washing over Seth's hood.

He coughed and was forced to drop back, momentarily slowing down to pull himself back together again. That only irritated him more than he had been, the black mustang launching himself back into the race in a second.

They had gone a half a mile so far, but the twists and turns made it seem much longer... It was coming... Very soon she would be coming up onto it. She cringed a bit as up ahead the hulking form of the bridge began emerging from the darkness like a huge animal ready to pounce. Maybe she could jump it...

Her mind raced as fast as she was when something occurred to her... This was suicide... Which was exactly what he wanted. He wanted her to drive hard... To drive so hard she couldn't possibly win... He wanted her to be unable to beat death... To parish in the same way that she had so that there could be no more argument on weather or not she should be dead or alive...

She hit her brakes hard, skidding to a stop. Her tires touched the bridge, the pavement slick but she was far enough back that she could stop before the gaping opening, leading to a fall that would hold only certain death...

The drop was hundreds of feet down onto a rocky river bed... She hadn't survived it before... Now she was smart enough to avoid it.

The world around her suddenly became much darker as the light hazed out, giving her the feeling of falling even though she knew she was still...

The race was over.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm afraid I'm not entirely sure what to tell you." Doctor Henson admitted, an apologetic smile offered. "We've gone over your friend with a fine toothed comb. There is no medical reason for him to be in, what can only be described as an almost comatose state, but the fact remains he will not wake up."

Doc nodded slowly, a deep frown crossing his grill. "Is there anything you might have missed?"

Henson gave a shake of his grill, soft sigh given. "For a car his age, he is in surprisingly good health. We've gone over everything. His engin's good... Carburetor, fans, fuel system... We've been over everything. There is absolutely nothing wrong. He's in good health."

"Well that's comforting to know... But then why is he still asleep?" Doc mused, gaining a shrug from Doctor Henson.

Doc glanced over at his sleeping friend, a frown crossing his grill. They had put Sheriff in a normal room. There was no need for ICU but most of the patients on this hall where at least somewhat able to be woken up.

"The only thing I can think of is a CAT scan... We'll be running one of those within' the hour. His mental activity is extremely high... Along the lines of someone who's actually awake... This is honestly beyond anything I've ever seen before. He's entirely unresponsive to outside stimuli. We've tried everything. He's unresponsive. He didn't even flinch from pain, something that we normally at least get a twitch from... Some of the head doctors are wanting to bring interns in here... They've never seen anything like it. Does he have any sleeping disorder that you know of?"

"No..." Doc offered with a shake of his grill. "He's normally a very light sleeper."

"Well then I've got nothing..."

"Thank you Doctor." Henson smiled and nodded, silently making his way out of the room, leaving Sally and Doc alone with Sheriff.

"Doc?" Sally questioned, though Doc could only shrug.

"I'm afraid I don't know the answer to this one either... The only thing I can think of... Is that he told me of something earlier. But I don't see how that would cause this sudden... Sleep."

Sally gave a puzzled look, but Doc only shook his grill a heavy sigh given. "I don't know Sally."

Sally nodded and sighed heavily, watching Sheriff's sleeping form for a moment. He looked peaceful... He always grouchy over every little thing. But in sleep his hardened features evened out, and for a time at least he actually appeared at some form of peace.

"Come on Sally. We'll be in the way when the doctor's come back." Doc offered, urging her out of the room. She nodded a bit, silently passing a couple nurses going in as she followed Doc out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jeff McQueen idly wandered around the halls, not even bothering to look where he was going. First his son, then one of the Radiator Springs people... He didn't have to be a genius to figure out what was happening...

This was his fault somehow... Maybe he shouldn't have dodged death in the first place... It was flat out luck he had managed it the first time. But now... He wasn't sure it was so lucky...

"Death!" He yelled out suddenly, drawing a few odd looks from passing nurses. He sighed and stepped out into the court yard, turning his attention up to the sky.

"Get down here you coward!" He yelled, though unsurprisingly nothing happened.

"Preoccupied..." A feminine voice floated through the air, the soft scent of spring seeming to float with it.

"Well tell him Jeff wants to speak with him."

"Occupied..." The voice floated down again, drawing a growl from Jeff.

"Easy for you to say. Who is this anyway? His secretary?"

The voice wasn't answering anymore. Jeff growled and silently left the court yard, heading for the chapel. That coward was around somewhere. Seth was going to get an ear full when he found him...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rain... It was beating down on her steadily. That was possibly the first thing that really came back into reality. She was also parked at the starting line again. Sheriff and Lightning offered her puzzled looks, both wanting to know just what the hell was going on. Henry... Seemed to already know...

"I'm surprised Ebony." Seth's voice caused her to flinch, the Viper slowly turning to face him. "I expected a lot of things from you. You where a fairly dirty racer back in the day I hear. Was never afraid to rub paint. Wasn't to sure if I would win this one or not. But I never in my wildest dreams though that you... Ebony Talon... Would quit."

"I didn't quit." She snapped, turning on him with a slight smirk. "Hey Lightning, who wins a race?"

"The first car to cross the finish line." Lightning responded, glancing at the Sheriff with a slight shrug. He shrugged in response, attention once more drawn to the two sports cars.

"And if no one finishes the race then there really can't be a winner, can there?"

Lightning paused for a moment and smiled. "No, their can't."

"So if there's no winner, then there's also no loser. But there can't be a winner or a loser in this case because neither one of us can finish the race!" Ebony pointed out, a slow smile crossing her grill.

Seth frowned, gaze narrowing on her for a moment. "Think so eh?"

Ebony smiled and swept one tire out towards the road. "If you think you can get across that bridge... Be my guest. But it's a long way down. I would watch that first step if I where you. It's a killer."

Seth let out a rumbling growl, his gaze casting towards the road. He stared down it a long while, seeming to be attempting to work out anything he could use. She was right... He had hoped that in her state she would have panicked and attempted to take the bridge... But it seemed she had grown a few brain cells in the process...

Ebony grinned and gave a somewhat lazy stretch. "Check mate Seth. I win."

Seth snarled and backed up a bit. He didn't like it... Didn't like it at all... But he didn't have much of a choice. She had him... The air around them seemed to freeze, the darkness seeming to thicken. All at once the rain stopped, the darkness overtaking them...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Some Highway 1956_

"_Did you ever see a dream walking? Well, I did. _

_Did you ever hear a dream talking? Well, I did. _

_Did you have a dream thrill you With "Will you be mine?" _

_Oh, it's so grand, and it's too, too divine! _

_Did you ever see a dream dancing? Well, I di-"_

_The singer's voice abruptly cut off as Mark clicked off the radio. Silence fell over him as the only sound now came from the steady hum of his engine. Another storm had been brewing... He could hear the thunder, see the clouds rolling in like a threatening wave... But what had threatened to become a storm had faded out to a clear July night. It was cold... He found that a little strange in July... But ignored it..._

_He had come this way once before... On vacation... Julia had made it a point to change lanes every three miles just to drive him nutty. They had laughed at everything, stopped at every tourist trap... There had been no silence... Only happy laughter. Now... The silence was deafening. He couldn't hear through it..._

_Everything he owned was packed in a box, tucked away and strapped to his trunk. Everything else he had walked away from. He had no time for it..._

_He wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do... Or even where he was going to go... After everything that happened... There was simply nothing left for him Dallas. _

_He couldn't breath... That problem seemed to be plaguing him since he left Dallas. It was like he was suffocating... He had felt it once before... His first time out on his own as a rookie cop... He had driven up on an armed robbery in progress. Been forced to talk to suspect down... He had felt it then. That feeling of suffocating... Edging panic... The feeling that any moment he would just... Drive... He had to drive... Had to run away. Part of the reason he had packed up and left... Left his entire life behind. Friends... Coworkers... No family... He didn't have any family. Another reason it was so easy._

_He wasn't sure how long he stayed on that old road. He was dimly aware of crossing a state line... Maybe two... He was even more dimly aware of changing high ways. An attempt to move away from familiar territory. He supposed the memories of traveling with Julia had become to painful. He had to get off of familiar territory and roads. _

_He stopped a few times for fuel... He remembered that. It was late the next afternoon when the sting started. A dull ache through his engine. He ignored it... The pain of losing Julia had finally stopped... It had become a dull... Numb feeling of shock..._

_It was edging on evening when the pain started becoming truly intense. He gave a soft hiss of pain, smoke beginning to pour out from under him, his engine turning from a soft, healthy hum to an roar of pain. _

_The sun was beginning to set once more beneath the distant landscape when his engine began to cough, slowly dying. He slowed to a stop, engine desperately trying to turn over again before he gave it up. He wasn't going anywhere. He sighed heavily, eyes closing for a moment. The brief wet sting he forced back. He wasn't going to lose it... He had held it together..._

_The sound of an engine cutting through the air startled him a bit. He opened his eyes again, focusing in the dim lighting. Headlights cut through the darkness... After a moment he recognized the flash of a patrol car's lights, the red light cutting through the evening._

_He sighed heavily, the pain becoming a bit to much for him... He closed his eyes, falling to a deep slumber..._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Light... Bright light... It was a shock after being in the wind and the rain... Now the world around him was dry... He was somewhat comfortable he supposed... But it was way to bright...

Sheriff's eyes slowly adjusted to the light, a soft groan pulling from him as he glanced around. A hospital room? What the hell happened?

The room was simple, as most hospital rooms where. Morning light flickered in through a window... Had he been out that long?

On one side of the room a hulking form sat, that after a moment of his vision clearing he recognized as Sarge. The Jeep sat with a book opened in front of him though he was dozing quietly.

"Sarge?" He questioned, wondering for a moment if he had dreamed the events of the past few days.

Sarge snatched awake, glancing around with a puzzled expression for a moment before offering Sheriff a smile. "You're awake!"

"Of course I am... What happened?"

"We don't know. Sally found you in the chapel. You had us worried sick. We haven't been able to wake you up all ni- Hey where are you going?" He called as Sheriff abruptly got to his tires.

"The chapel. I have to see how this one turns out." He commented, gaining a puzzled look from Sarge.

"How what turns out? Sheriff! You've been out for the day, get back in here and get back to..." He faded off, realizing Sheriff wasn't listening to him in the least, a roll of his eyes given. "Why do I bother... Hey Doc!" He called, not about to go chasing Sheriff around the hospital.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sheriff tracked them down again, right where he thought they would be. Seth and Ebony where engaged in what could only be called a screaming match.

Or rather Ebony screamed at Seth, he kept that same calm, 'I couldn't give a flying rat's ass' attitude that he tended to keep which coincidently drove Ebony absolutely nuts.

"You're just trying to avoid the point! I outsmarted you!"

Seth only shrugged, seeming to have collected himself a bit in the meantime. "All you did was duck out of a race. This challenge isn't over Ebony. Weather you like it or not, I am taking you and a McQueen back with me and there's nothing you can do about it."

"But I won!" Ebony yelled, drawing a smirk from Seth.

"Actually you didn't. Like you said, neither of us won and neither of us lost. Therefore there can be no winner and no loser. So we're right back at the beginning again."

Ebony growled and turned away from him, storming to the other side of the chapel. "You are impossible!" She yelled, drawing a chuckle from Seth. "Well I thought so." Seth offered in response a light stretch on his tires given.

"Sheriff?" Doc's voice brought them all to silence as Sheriff turned to his old friend, a somewhat sheepish smile given.

"You should be resting..." Doc offered, though silently glanced around the room for a moment. "What's going on with you?" He questioned, seeming more than a little worried for him.

"It's a long story Doc... And you're going to think I'm nuts..."

Doc sighed heavily, rolling a bit closer. "You have the hospital staff in a tizzy... You should be back in your room."

"I'm not leaving." Sheriff stated firmly, drawing a nod from Doc.

Doc was silent for a long moment, silently studying the surrounding room. Sheriff sighed heavily, slight wince given as Ebony went back to her yelling at Seth.

Doc was oblivious to the argument he had walked in on. Though he did seem to pick up something was off. Though that could have very well been the fact that it was freezing cold in the chapel where it wasn't just outside the door...

"Sheriff... Is someone other than us here?" Doc questioned, after a time for the first time offering that he truly did believe Sheriff when he told him of his ability. Sheriff gave a slight smile and nodded. "Lightning... His grandfather, Henry... Ebony... And... Well Death is here to."

"Death..." Doc seemed a bit set off at that for a moment but as always the ageing vehicle took it in stride.

"Very loud argument going on believe it or not..." Sheriff explained, slight sigh given.

"Doc?" The voice caught them all off guard once more, Jeff McQueen making his way into the chapel. "You need any help..." He stopped short, surprise crossing his features.

Seth smirked and offered a soft chuckle. "Well it seems it's just become a party." With that the chapel doors, abruptly swung closed as firmly bolted as any physical lock could perform...

Sheriff gave a hard swallow and shook his grill slowly. Alright this wasn't a good thing...

"Sheriff?" Doc's voice was questioning, unable to see what he should have possibly been afraid of...

"Doc... They can't stand the living. Just remember that and you'll be fine..." Sheriff offered slowly, silently glancing around the room.

Jeff gave a low growl, his gaze catching everything that happened. When he came back to the living... Part of him hadn't come back at all... He could see the dead and hear them just fine where he hadn't been able to before. That normally disturbed him. Now it was just giving him something to be angry about.

Seth quietly eyed Jeff for a long moment, the stock car storming up to the old mustang. "Problem McQueen?"

Jeff growled softly, eyes narrowing at the vehicle. "You know damn well what the problem is..."

"Life for a life McQueen. You brought it on yourself." Seth offered with a smug little smirk.

"I didn't think you would take it out on my son's life Seth!" Seth only offered a slight smirk, amusement crossing his features. "Really should have thought ahead McQueen. After all who else did you think I was going to take it out on? It's not as if your name can ever show up on my lists again. Something that we're still attempting to figure out. Do you even realize just how much paperwork you caused?"

"Sounds to me like someone upstairs screwed up." Sheriff offered, gaining a somewhat flat look from Seth.

"Sheriff?" Doc questioned, gaining a slight sigh from Sheriff. "It's a very long story Doc..." Sheriff muttered and seemed to think on it for a moment.

"Well I'm game to hear it." Doc offered, silently attempting to keep track of the rather one sided conversation.

"Now's kinda not the time..." Sheriff muttered as the argument once more began to heat up.

Doc blinked slowly, seeming to be attempting to focus a bit. Sheriff gave a grunt as Lightning joined into the argument, apparently something spurring him into telling Death just what he thought of him. Not the brightest of moves...

"Alright Doc... You know that feeling you get sometimes late at night? Like someone's watching you? Usually, there is someone. Everyone has a sixth sense. You just have to tap into it."

Doc nodded slowly, slight frown crossing his grill. Possibly the sudden boost in spirit activity in such a small place... There could have been a thousand different theories... But somehow things where coming into focus. "Lightning?" He questioned, a bit startled to this revelation of sorts. "Sheriff who are these people?"

Sheriff blinked, a startled look shot in Doc's direction. Seth growled softly, slight grunt given. "Is there anyone in this flippin' hospital who can't see me?" He yelled, an angry stomp of one tire given.

"Oh, is someone frustrated?" Ebony almost cooed. "Wouldn't want that, now would we?"

"Do you ever shut up?" Seth challenged, drawing a slight smirk from Ebony.

"No, not really. Not when it concerns you Dead boy."

Seth snarled, gaze narrowing on the black Viper. "Don't call me that!"

"Oh! Touchy are we?"

Ebony snarled and suddenly charged at Seth. "Not as touchy as you're gonna be!" She snapped, stopping short as Henry pulled between the two.

"You two knock it off. Yer like youngin's squabblin ' over the last cookie..."

Ebony growled, but did at least back off. "He started it." She stated, attempting to defend herself.

"Well I'm finishing it. Seth you should know better. You're Death for God's sake..." Henry snapped, sending Ebony back skittering behind Lightning.

Seth opened his mouth to snap something in response when an outside source finally cut into the little disagreement.

"Alright that's enough out of everyone!" Doc yelled, glaring at the gathered group. That gained the attention of the entire gathered group, including both the living and the dead...

"Alright... Now I don't really care who did what. What the hell's going on here?"

The chorus of voices he couldn't possibly keep up with, brought out another barked out order for silence.

"One at a time... Sheriff, you start."

"Alright... Well to tell you the truth I really don't know. Lightning's in a coma... So he's hanging around in Limbo... Seth wants to take him to the next life, but Lightning don't wanna go..."

"Not my time." Lightning cut in.

"Is to." Seth shot back, though otherwise wasn't quite brave enough to argue the point.

"As I was saying" Sheriff pointed out, a slight glare cut in the direction of Lightning and Seth. "Henry, is Lightning's Grandfather, and Ebony is... Well Ebony is just Ebony."

"Actually I'm a con artist." Ebony offered, slight smirk given.

"Whatever. Jeff ties into this somehow but I honestly don't know how."

"I can answer that." Jeff cut in, still glaring at Seth. "I was killed ten years ago in a race... Seth came... I managed to outsmart him and get back to the living world and he's still pissed about it."

"You're not suppose to be able to come back Jeff!" Seth yelled, drawing a chuckle from Ebony.

"Oh he's just pissed because he's the only Death ever to screw up. Every one else's records are flawless."

"Alright... Well considering all of that, why can I suddenly see them?" Doc questioned, drawing a shrug from Sheriff.

"Well why do people in these haunted buildings claim to see spirits? Because either A, the spirit wants you to see them, or B, there is an extremely high point of spiritual activity in the area."

"So which is it?"

"Well since Seth controls the first a bit in this case... I would go with the second which means... Oh no..." Sheriff gave a flinch, seeming to remember something he probably would have rather not remembered.

"What oh no?" Doc questioned, giving his old friend a somewhat suspicious gaze.

"Well... Sometimes a high plane of spiritual activity can be jump started by something coming through that's having a bit of a difficult time getting through... Sort of a restless spirit that's already crossed over. Usually comes up as what could be described as hearing voices..."

"I've heard voices..." Lightning suddenly put in, coming up beside Doc. The old racer gave a slight flinch at the cold feeling though otherwise simply seemed interested in this turn of events.

"What kind of voices?" Seth demanded, appearing in front of them almost as quickly as fading mist.

"Female I think..." Lightning offered, slight frown crossing his grill.

Seth growled, backing up a bit, eyes narrowing. "Why that little... Sticking her grill into places it doesn't belong that's what it is..."

Lightning shot Ebony and Henry a puzzled look, the both of them only able to offer a slight shrug. Normally they at least had some idea what Seth was ranting about... Now though they had no idea..."

"This is a mad house..." Doc muttered, only drawing a nod of agreement from Henry.

"Oh, I'll give you mad house..." Seth muttered, the Mustang seeming suddenly furious with something or other...

"You know... Because of the tasks involved it is very common for Death to go entirely insane... They where having a problem with that a few centuries ago... Apparently Death would get a little to power hungry." Ebony mused, gaining a somewhat flat look from Seth.

The Mustang growled, now circling the room, full attention turned to the air around him. "I know you're here... Come out before I drag you out..."

"You know Seth... A nice long vacation could do wonders..." Ebony suggested, slight frown crossing her grill.

"You really don't ever shut up do you?" Seth challenged, though still wasn't paying her any real attention. "Hey you!" He called out, to no one in particular. "You can't hide from me you little minx I promise you, that you can't hide!"

"Seth... There's no one here..." Ebony offered softly as if attempting to comfort someone. Seth, this time, flatly ignored her...

"Damn it would you get-"

"No need to curse... Clean up your language..." That soft voice again. Floating in and out with the wind itself, those same soothing tones.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Seth demanded, speaking to the disembodied voice as if it where someone standing right in front of him. "You know as well as I do, you're not suppose to make contact."

"I'm not suppose to make contact, so long as I don't need to. You're screwing up."

"Oh, don't give me that." Seth snapped, slight growl given. "You're about as difficult to shut up as the Viper... And would it kill you, for just a few moments for you not to stick your grill where it doesn't belong?"

"I beg your pardon?" The voice raised a bit in volume, going from that soft whispering tone to, a very loud and very angry female voice. "I'll have you know I never get involved unless I have to and for your information I've been attempting to help you out! All this in an attempt to cover your little screw ups and for your information I also have a message for you!"

Lightning frowned, turning a bit to shoot a questioning gaze at the others. Ebony and Henry could only offer a puzzled shrug. Doc, quietly shook his grill and Sheriff... Had simply gone deathly quiet and if at all possible a few shades pale...

A bright pinpoint of light seemed to appear from nowhere, at first about the size and brightness of a Christmas tree light. A light blue in hue that seemed to grow and separate, a large form materializing out of the light.

"Do you cutting out the theatrics and just giving me the damn message so you can leave?" Seth growled, narrowing his eyes at the one who stepped from the light.

She offered a smile, form painfully familiar... A deep blue with angel's wings artfully curling across her fender and door panels...

"Julia..." The soft whisper came from Sheriff, briefly drawing Doc's attention.

"Don't think you would be so excited to hear it if you knew what it was." She offered, a pleasant smile crossing her grill. "Word from on high... Somebody's in trouble." She sang, a chipper little tune held up to that.

Seth growled and gave a hard shake of his grill. "The creator needs to understand that Rome wasn't built in a day! I'm doing the best I can with what I have and if he-" A clap of thunder sounded so loudly it rattled the windows. Seth winced, sinking down a bit on his shocks in response.

"Guess that means he was listening." Julia commented with a light shrug. "The council's also a little pissed off at you right now. They said you took a perfectly simple assignment and just had to make it more difficult than it had to be. All this was suppose to be was a little near death experience and you just had to turn it into some kind of vengeance kick."

"This is not a vengeance kick Julia! You can not feel sorry for every single mortal that's stupid enough to screw up and wind up dead!" Seth yelled, drawing a slight smirk from Julia.

"Of course you wouldn't know Seth. See this is why, when they place someone in charge of Death it should be someone who was once mortal. Not a demon wanna be." Julia snipped, pulling another growl from Seth. Another clap of thunder cut off any retaliation Seth might have had...

"The council is very upset with you Seth. They said something about you being fired." She offered, slight chuckle given. Seth froze, a slight wince given. He pulled back a bit, that thought seeming to almost frighten him.

"Now, as for the rest of you." She stated, turning her attention back to the group of the living and the dead. She paused for a moment, smile crossing her grill and made her way to the group. She paused at Sheriff, briefly nuzzling at his side. "I can't even tell you how much I've missed you..." She muttered, a smile crossing her grill.

Sheriff was quiet for a long moment, before a slow smile crossed his grill. "God I've missed you..."

"Missed you more." Julia argued, soft chuckle given. Sheriff only smiled, a slight choke given. That little argument was painfully familiar, for the time only drawing a slow nod from him.

"I'll be back." She promised with a smile, turning her attention to those who where... For the moment at least dead...

"As for the lot of you... Henry..."

Henry rolled his eyes, slight smirk given. "I know, I know. I'll be in Purgatory for a month for this."

"Well, maybe not a whole month. After Seth went a little and started manipulating people like chess pawns they figured stepping in wasn't such a bad idea. So you're in trouble, but I think their willing to forget it if you cooperate from here on out."

"I'm all about cooperating." Henry offered with a chuckle, slight shrug given. Julia grinned and nodded, turning her attention to Jeff. "You... No one's entirely sure what to make of you anymore." She offered, somewhat thoughtful expression crossing her features.

Jeff offered a slight sigh, settling back on his shocks and seeming to be waiting for the worst.

"You've kinda screwed up in your life... Fix it. You know what you need to do. And be careful because you know there are no more exits for you..." She offered, drawing a quick nod from Jeff.

She moved, on regarding Ebony for a moment. "You... Need to come with me. You know that. But don't be afraid." She offered, a smile crossing her grill. Ebony swallowed hard, but nodded as Julia cast a gaze at Lightning. "You... I think you've been through enough."

With that simple statement Sheriff, Jeff and Doc where suddenly left alone in the room, the three of them quietly wondering of maybe... That had all been a dream...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A haze... It was everywhere... Like a heavy fog that came with storms... He had thought he was dreaming for a time... But everything seemed so... Surreal... As if there was something he needed to do...

He gave a soft groan, forcing his eyes open. The white wash of sterile walls hurt his eyes a bit. He was forced to close them again... The steady hum and beep of machines around him was the first thing he was truly aware of. What the hell was going on?

He felt someone close by... Hovering for a moment before the presence was suddenly gone... Within' moments it was back again, though it seemed to have brought friends...

Friends that prodded at him, and seemed to be very interested with his engine...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Doc silently made his way into the waiting room, Jeff following, a very quiet Sheriff right behind him... He was still reeling from all this... Sheriff he possibly could have gotten information out of but his old friend he had a feeling didn't need any more memories stirred up than already had been.

Doc also supposed he really could have insisted that Sheriff go back to his room.. In fact a few of the hospital doctors had already tried that. Sheriff simply shrugged it off and signed himself out, claiming he was simply over tired.

Sheriff paused at the door, gaining an odd look from those gathered. For once in his life the patrol car seemed... far away.

"Sheriff are you sure you're alright?" Sally questioned, that only briefly drawing him from his absent expression. It was the door hitting him across the fender that finally seemed to snap him out of it. He muttered a startled yelp and jumped forward and out of the way.

Doctor Henson, offered a slight nod, a mix of apology and surprise... "Sorry about that... I have a bit of good news. Lightning is awake."

The shocked silence for a moment was all that greeted him, before a soft murmur of relief was offered.

"He's very groggy at the moment... I wouldn't expect to much from him. But you can start going back to see him one at a time if you wish."

Another murmur of relief, Joe quietly offering a heart felt thank you to the Doctor before he silently nodded and headed back out again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Let go of me!" Ebony set back fully on the shadows that held her. She had cooperated until they had popped up in judgement hall. Then she seemed to have realized she was about to face judgement... A judgement she was sure wasn't going to end well...

The halls towered above her, massive arches of such beauty that some of the worlds greatest painters could not have foreseen such wonderful art in their wildest dreams... The great cathedrals of Europe looked like out houses compared to the hall of judgement... However Ebony wasn't to intent on taking in the view at the moment... Few who where going where she was going ever would be.

Finally she was pushed into a great room, the council nowhere to be seen. She yelped as she was pushed to her seat, the viper setting back on her shocks and attempting to pull away, though she was now bound by heavy tendrils of shadows...

"No!" She yelped, a pleading gaze cast to the air around her. "Please don't do this..." She wasn't above begging now... Once she would have been to proud but not now...

"Ebony Talon... Born Elizabeth O'Connor." The voices seemed to come from all around her... They spoke as one. Disembodied and all powerful. The council...

"Please..." Ebony pleaded, tears trailing across her hood. "Not this..."

"In life... Your lessons have been few." The voices went on, not a moment's thought headed to her pleas.

"I've learned them now, please..."

"You have lived a life that drew off of others." They went on.

"No one ever really got hurt that didn't in some way deserve it... Drug dealers! That's what they where!" Ebony insisted, attempting to pull free of her current fate.

"You have been dishonest in your life. You have swindled and manipulated your fellow car."

"You can't tell me that some of them didn't deserve it." She argued, attempting to see a face of any of them...

"There is no one here who would speak for you. Who would speak for you?"

"I would." Julia's voice rang out from behind Ebony, the Viper giving a slight jump at the sound.

"Speak and be heard." The council stated simply, signaling her to go on.

"She may not have learned anything in life, but in death she has. She did not have to help the stock car. She could have avoided the situation and remained safe from Seth. She did not have to suddenly refuse Seth's deal. It would have worked out better for her if she hadn't. Her life she has wasted, but she has learned in her death." Julia insisted, the vehicle standing before the council as she had done so many times before.

The council was quiet for a long time, the silence almost deafening through the great halls.

"Very well..." The response was quiet and unexpected. "She will be given another chance."

Ebony blinked, the sudden shift making her a bit ill. A haze faded in, seeming to take her with it. She didn't even get to ask what second chance she was going to be offered... She was already gone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Lightning?"

Lightning forced an eye open, quietly gazing around the room. The one by one rule that the doctor had set in place had quickly crashed and burned apparently.

"Hey kid." Doc offered, keeping his voice down low. Though the lowered voice quickly went out the window, a sobbing woman, suddenly nuzzling against his side.

"Ma?" He questioned, his voice a soft whisper.

"Hey Stickers." Lightning smiled a bit at the familiar voice, as Sally nuzzled against his other side.

"Kid?" Sheriff offered a slight smile, light nod offered to the stock car. "What do you remember?" He whispered, as if that was questionable.

Lightning paused for a moment, puzzled expression crossing his features. "I was racing... Did I win Doc?"

Doc chuckled softly and gave a slight shake of his grill. "You where close... There's always next year kid. Anything else?"

"No..." Lightning whispered, a slight blink given as he attempted to focus on those around him. "Uncle Stone?" He questioned, the truck only smiling and offering the stock car a light nudge.

Lightning's gaze settled on Jeff, a clearly puzzled expression offered, no clue as to who this was... However it didn't last long, the stock car slipping back into a deep slumber...

Despite the amazing turn of events... Things seemed to have finally wound down...

What started as strangers where now family, only the voice of a very loud nurse managing to pry them out of the room and down the hall.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Radiator Springs 1956_

"_Angel, earth angle... Will you be mine...My darling dear love you all the time... I'm just a fool, a fool in love with you..."_

_He hated that song... He really did. Someone was singing it... He growled and forced open an eye, a good looking young show car the first sight he was met with. She was setting down a tray, a can of strong smelling oil among a few other things she had brought in. It took him a moment to figure out why he was looking down at her... He was on a lift. Not particularly high up but high up enough..._

"_Who- Where am I?" He questioned, cutting himself off in favor of a question with a bit more... Urgency._

_The car jumped a bit, before a bright smile was offered. "Radiator Springs honey. My name's Flo." She offered with a light chuckle, pulling a smile from Mark._

"_Glad to see you up. People have been taking bets as to who you are."_

_Mark chuckled, for a moment pausing. He had left his old life behind... He supposed he wasn't ready to look back on it just yet. "Deputy Jason Carson." He offered, giving her his middle name._

"_A deputy? Really?" Flo offered, a smile given as she let the lift down so that Mark was once more on flat ground. "Bet Sheriff McDuffy would offer you a job." She commented with a chuckle, silently offering him the can of oil. Mark smiled and nodded gratefully as he took it, the car then offering him fuel._

"_Honey child, you put this whole town in a stir, you know that?"_

"_Sorry..." Mark offered, not entirely sure how he had done that._

"_Nothin' to be sorry for. This is the slow season. We see a lot of people during the summer, but this time of year, it's quieter than... Well something quiet." Flow explained with a soft laugh. "You're lucky though. If the Sheriff hadn't found you, no tellin' how long you would have sat out there on that highway."_

_Mark nodded a bit, slight grunt given. "Offer him my thanks then... What happened anyway?"_

"_Well Doctor Murray says you had a slow leak in your radiator. Eventually it just flat out blew... He fixed it for ya." She offered with a smile. "Come on over to the café, and we'll get you goin' again." She offered, rolling out of the clinic and leaving Mark to stagger out after her. He managed to stagger out to the café, Flo quickly setting him up and moving off to tend to her other customers._

"_Hey there!" Mark was startled by the baby blue tow truck that pulled up beside him, the somewhat goofy looking truck offering a friendly smile that put him at ease in a moment. "So you're the car everyone's been talking about. My name's Mater."_

"_Mater?" Mark questioned, slight chuckle given._

"_Yeah, ya know like Tuh Mater... But without the Tuh." He explained, a grin crossing his grill._

_Mark laughed, for the first time in several days, a smile crossing his grill. "I'm Deputy Jason Carson." He explained, slight chuckle given._

"_Deputy eh?" The voice startled him a bit, the patrol car twisting around to face the town's Sheriff. An ageing patrol car with steel gray eyes. "From where?"_

"_Well... I suppose not really a Deputy anymore... Just use to the title." Mark offered with a shrug. "I'm from Texas... Needed a change of pace..." He muttered, leaving certain events out._

_The Sheriff nodded a bit, frown crossing his grill. "I'm impressed boy. Ya look me in the eye when I'm talkin' to ya... I pride myself in bein' a judge of character ya know."_

_Mark nodded slowly to that, slight wince given._

"_Got a job?"_

_Mark gave a shake of his grill to that. No he didn't... He hadn't thought of that a week ago. Now... He was in a strange town, with strange people... A box of junk the only thing he owned and not a penny to his name... He supposed he really should have rethought that..._

_The Sheriff nodded slowly, deep rumbling sigh given. "Well if ya want one be at the station at eight in the morning. You can stay there if you like until you get your wheels on the ground."_

_And with that the grumpy old patrol car rolled out of the café, leaving a very stunned Mark behind._

"_Hey he likes ya!" Mater stated, happy nudge given. "Welcome to Radiator Springs!"_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Three weeks was an amazingly short amount of time when it wanted to be. At the same time it could be an amazingly long amount of time. That was how long it had taken them to get the Doctors to let Lightning out of their clutches.

Sheriff smiled a bit as Lightning hobbled his way off of Mack's trailer, having to stop every few feet to catch his breath. Sally was at his side, helping him as much as she could, carefully guiding him to Doc's clinic. That was the only way they had pried him away from Daytona. They had promised every Doctor at the hospital that he would be released strictly into Doctor Hudson's custody. That he would be living at Doc's clinic for as long as it took for him to heal.

It took Sally a good fifteen minutes to get Lightning across the street and safely into Doc's clinic. Doc quickly followed, disappearing into his office for a moment, before going around back to the clinic.

It was good to be home. Things may not be the same for a while, but at least they where home. Those who had spent weeks on end at the hospital could now curl up in their own beds where they felt safe and comfortable.

The street cleared after a few moments, the town quiet once more as the evening began to fade in. Sheriff was left alone, silently sitting under the lone traffic light. He gave a shrug, the patrol car quietly driving out to his favorite spot to patrol, the lone bill board perfect spot to hide and catch a speeder... Though also the perfect spot to hide and catch some sleep...

He parked out of sight, the ground comfortably settled where his tires always sat. He had spent years patrolling this spot... He wasn't entirely sure why he had chosen this one. Sheriff McDuffy had once had the theory that it was probably because he himself had broken down only fifty feet from that sign. The old Sheriff had suggested he was looking out for other travelers who might meet the same fate. He supposed the old patrol car was right. He had a habit of watching out for any travelers.

He was almost asleep when the hot air suddenly turned cool, a pleasant breeze fading through. He opened an eye, a pin point of light seeming to blend its way out of the shadows. He came fully awake, for a moment thinking it to be a lone headlight, though the painfully familiar features that seemed to seep out of it, cut those thoughts at the chase.

"I told you I would be back..."

Sheriff gave a soft choke but a smile crossed his grill as he quickly moved forward. "Julia..."

"I've missed you." Julia offered, pulling up next to Sheriff and quietly settling beside him so that her side pressed against him. He gave a contented sigh, silently allowing himself to slip back to those old days for a few moments, for the moment at least content...

"What happened?" He finally asked, smiling as Julia chuckled, the familiar sound music to his ears.

"The council finally calmed down. Henry was given a stern lecture about interfering with mortals and sent back to the after life, though there is talk about giving him a higher task... Seth, had been fired, which in the after life's case isn't good... Think fire and brimstone. Though after the council calmed down, they chose to give him a chance to redeem himself and placed him in a position he was a bit better suited for. Primarily hunting rogue souls, since he has such a good working relationship with the shadows. Ebony has been given a second chance and an opportunity to come to a higher good."

Sheriff chuckled, a somewhat puzzled look given. "Higher good?"

"They gave her Seth's job." Julia offered, a soft chuckle given. "They felt that maybe if they broke down the job and placed someone who had once been mortal at the main face of the position then maybe Death wouldn't go nutty. So now she works with Seth."

"I'll bet they hate that..."

"There's also talk of putting Henry in charge of keeping those two from killing each other. Well... Again... You get the idea." Julia offered with a soft chuckle.

"Now that's something that would be needed."

"Tell me about it..."

The two fell silent for a long moment, silently staring out across the valley. They had never really needed to say all that much to each other. Simply being close was enough.

It was nearly an hour before Julia quietly sighed and nuzzled against Sheriff's side. "I've got to get back..."

Sheriff nodded slowly, a quiet nudge given to her side. "You're not coming back are you?"

Julia sighed and closed her eyes, a soft whimper given. "I can't... Not in this life time... But I'll see you again."

Sheriff chuckled and nodded quietly. "I know."

Julia offered a slight smile, a kiss placed against his bumper before as quickly as she had come... She was gone just as fast.

Sheriff sighed heavily, eyes closing tightly against the sting of tears. He wasn't going to start that... Not now... He let out a ragged sigh, a smile finding its way to his grill, despite the events.

Things where somewhat back to normal. He knew Julia was alright... Those that had helped Lightning where ok... He should be grateful. He knew that...

He sighed heavily, letting his engine roar to life and silently drove home, slight smile crossing his grill as for a few moments he switched his lights on and surged forward for a moment, as if in hot pursuit... After all, even old police cars... Loved the thrill of the chase...

Epilogue

Fire... It was everywhere... Lapping at the walls and seemed to trap all ways out... He couldn't breath... Couldn't see... Where was his family? He didn't know... Had no idea...

Choking... The smoke was everywhere and he was choking...

Sheriff gave a soft yelp as he shot awake, attempting to blink the horrible images away. He glanced around the darkness of the station, as usual the little used office silent. When everyone started leaving Radiator Springs when the tourists stopped coming the station had fallen to disuse and eventually had become Sheriff's home... Very few people ever felt the need to come in any more.

He sighed heavily, attempting to shake the nightmare as he got up and moved to the small space that would have been considered a kitchen, really simply a space separate by an old desk from the space that he slept in. He grabbed a can of warm oil, quietly settling down in an attempt to shake the images, comfort fuel reality. He was just feeling the effects of falling tired again when he heard it. Soft crying... A child...

He frowned and got to his tires, moving around the station. For a moment he thought he may have left the television on, though it only took him a moment to remember he had unplugged the thing while cleaning weeks ago... And never plugged it back in. He simply never watched it enough to worry about it.

He frowned, moving back to the back of the station and stopped short. A small corvette. A child... He whimpered as he kept his steady gaze on Sheriff. "Now where did you come from?" He questioned, speaking softly and attempting not to frighten him.

The child stepped into the light, sending Sheriff quickly pulling back, a startled yelp given. Horribly burned his features marred to a near mutilated state...

"I can't find them..." The child whispered, the spiritual energy in the room shooting up by leaps.

Sheriff sighed heavily and closed his eyes, a slow shake of his grill given. "Thanks..." He muttered to anyone listening in the next life. Someone had a horrible sense of humor...

"Alright kid... Let's you and me have a chat." He offered, smile crossing his grill. The child offered a quiet smile, a slow nod given.

It was a twenty four hour job... Being a medium...

Fin


End file.
